Pokemon: Emerald Voyage
by LightRealm
Summary: Davin has journeyed to the Hoenn Region to start anew and continue his way toward being a Pokemon Master. With new friends, new Pokemon, and new rivals to help him, will he succeed in winning the Hoenn League? (This story was originally written from 11/8/2010 to 5/23/2011)
1. Chapter 1 - Arrival

Davin casually stepped off the ship and he looked up at the blue sky. He stood there for a moment to take in the fresh air and new scenery. "It's time... my new journey!"

He quickly noticed a video phone near the port and rushed to call Professor Cypress. When he got in contact with her, she said, "Judging by that huge smile on your face, I take it you're already in Hoenn?"

He nodded. "I'm just so excited! The thought of going on a new adventure excites me so much!"

The professor smiled. "So you remember where you're so supposed to go to receive your Pokemon, right?"

Davin's smile disappeared. "Um... yeah... I remember. It's... uh... uh... um..."

"Littleroot Town." She chuckled. "There, you'll meet Professor Birch. I already told him about your journey plan and he's willing to give you a Pokemon to start you off."

"Awesome! I'll head over right away. Talk to you later!" Davin hung up the phone and immediately ran north to Littleroot.

* * *

"What? What do you mean Professor Birch isn't here?!" Davin said to one of the professor's assistants. When Davin arrived in Littleroot, he assumed the professor's lab was the large white building with the automatic doors and entered it.

"He's out doing his research," The assistant explained. "He won't be back for quite some time."

"That's just great." Davin frowned. He exited the lab, walking slowly with disappointment. "Just when I was getting excited too..." He sighed. "Well, I guess I might as well look around while I wait."

He traveled to the woods located in the north and searched around as if he was expecting something to happen. "I know I've only been here for about 10 minutes, but if someone asked me, I'd say this town's pretty dull."

"HELLLLLLLLLLP!" Someone shouted. Davin headed toward the cry and was surprised at what he was witnessing: A man wearing a white lab coat over a blue shirt with green shorts hanging on to a tree branch while a brown and white raccoon Pokemon was growling at him from below.

"Hey, you!" The man noticed Davin. "Please! Help me!"

"What can I do?"

"Over there!" He pointed to a brown carrier bag that was far to the right side of the tree. "In the bag are 3 Poke balls that contain Pokemon. Use one of them to defeat this Zigzagoon!"

Davin nodded and ran over to the bag, rummaging through the pockets. Like the man said, three Poke balls were inside.

"Hmm..." He thought while staring at them. He quickly grabbed the one on the left and threw it, releasing a blue mammalian fish looking Pokemon that had orange gills sticking out from its cheeks, a fin sticking out from its head, and a light colored tail.

Davin checked his Pokedex. "Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokemon. It uses the sensitive radar receptors on its head fin to read its surroundings."

"A Water Pokemon..." Davin pointed to the Zigzagoon. "Alright, Mudkip! Use Water Gun!"

A huge blast of water shot out of its mouth and hit the Zigzagoon, making it become angry and start to charge.

"Dodge and use Tackle!" Mudkip leaped from its spot and bashed its head against the raccoon Pokemon.

"Finish it with another Water Gun!" The second blast of water hit and the Zigzagoon quickly fled out of annoyance.

"Phew! That was close." The man climbed down from the tree and approached Davin. "Thanks for your help. I was doing my research when I accidentally disturbed that Zigzagoon. Next thing I knew, I was up in that tree."

"It was no problem." Davin paused with a thoughtful look. "Research? Does that mean... _you're_ Professor Birch?"

"Yes. How'd you know?"

"I'm Davin, the one Professor Cypress told you about."

"Oh, I see. Well... this isn't the place to talk, so let's head back to my lab."

**A WHILE LATER**

"Thanks again for helping me back there." The Professor said when they were back at the lab. "You handled that Mudkip pretty well."

"Thank you." Davin kneeled down to the Water Pokemon near his legs. "You know, you're pretty strong. You could become an excellent battler one day."

"Mudkip, Mud!" It smiled.

"Say, Davin? Why don't you take this Mudkip as your starter for your Hoenn journey?" Birch suggested.

"Really? That'd be awesome! What do you say, Mudkip? Do you want to come with me?"

"Mudkip!" The Pokemon happily leaped into his arms.

"That seems like a 'Yes'." Birch chuckled. "So your plan is to enter the Hoenn league, correct?" Davin nodded. "Well, the nearest gym here is Petalburg City, so why don't you head there first?"

"Sounds good to me." Davin said. The professor handed him Mudkip's Poke ball and it quickly went back inside.

Afterwards, Davin said goodbye to the professor and headed towards Oldale Town to get a few supplies before heading out.

"All right! My Hoenn journey... begins now!"


	2. Chapter 2 - The Unfriendly Stranger

Davin had already reached Oldale Town and went to the Pokemon Center to heal his Mudkip (who he nicknamed Ros), so he decided to check out Route 103 (North of Oldale) to see what kind of Pokemon were around.

"Wow! Check 'em all out." He saw numerous Poochyena, Zigzagoon and Wurmple scattered about the area. Few were playing while others were practicing their moves on rocks, trees, and each other.

Davin smiled at the sight. Suddenly, a person standing near a tree caught his eye. It was a boy, around Davin's age, who wore a white jacket, jeans, red and black shoes and he had straight blonde hair. "Wonder who that is? Could he be a trainer?"

He ran towards the mysterious boy, who heard his footsteps and turned around.

"Hi. What's up?" Davin greeted.

"Who are you?" He asked rudely while having a mean look on his face.

"My name's Davin. I'm a Pokemon trainer from the Varex region."

The boy closed his eyes and grinned. "What's a Varex trash like you doing in Hoenn?"

"Excuse me?!" Davin asked, insulted and confused. "How dare you talk to me and Varex like that?"

"No reason. It's just hard to believe that Varex is still around. I haven't been there in so long, I was hoping a volcano would erupt and take the entire land out along with its people."

Davin was getting steamed. "What've you got against the Varex region? It's a great place!"

The boy scoffed. "I don't have to explain anything you. Get out of my way." He shoved Davin aside into a tree and walked off.

"You little... Hey! Get back here!" The boy just kept walking. "If you dislike the Varex region, then let's have a battle!"

That got his attention, as he had stopped. He turned his head around. "What are you getting at?"

Davin took out a Poke ball. "You talk tough, but I bet you're just a coward! I bet you couldn't even beat _me_, someone from the region you talk junk about!"

He stared at Davin for awhile and he turned around completely. "Fine. We'll see how strong you are. Let's make it a 4-on-4 battle."

Davin cringed. "Uh... No can do. I only have 1 Pokemon on me."

The boy scoffed. "Just as expected. I suppose 1-on-1 will do. But I doubt you'll last 5 seconds."

Davin ignored him. "Before we start, what's your name? I should at least know who I'm up against."

"It's Haro." He took out his Poke ball and let out what was inside. The light faded to reveal a green Pokemon that stood on all fours, had small seeds around its neck and a big leaf on top of its head.

Davin's Pokedex analyzed it. "Chikorita, the Leaf Pokemon. It waves its leaf around to keep its foes at bay, which also releases a sweet fragrance that becalms them as well."

"What're you doing with a Chikorita? They're not native to the Hoenn region." Davin stated.

"It was a gift I recently received from my cousin in Johto." Haro explained. "It doesn't have any battle experience, but I'm sure it'll waste no time beating you."

"Then we're on the same page!" Davin released his Mudkip. "I just got this Mudkip as well. This'll be its first official battle."

"And since Water types are weak against Grass types, it'll be its first official loss!" Haro pointed towards their foes. "Chikorita, use Vine Whip!"  
Two vines appeared out of the seeds around its neck and they lashed out towards the Mudkip.

"Dodge it, Ros, and use Tackle!" It jumped past the vines and rammed its body into Chikorita.

"Ros? You nickname your Pokemon? How childish." Haro said with a frown.

"Well, it's what I do. I like giving my Pokemon names other than the ones they were given." Davin shot back.

"Whatever. Chikorita, Sweet scent!" The Leaf Pokemon began to swing the leaf on its head, causing a pink powder to make its way to Ros. The Mudkip's eyes lowered and it began to sway in a delusional manner. "Razor Leaf, go!" Razor-sharp leaves flew out of Chikorita's leaf and struck Ros, making it tumble backwards.

"You okay, Ros?" The Mudkip shook it off and stared at Chikorita angrily. "Alright! Use Mud-Slap!" A stream of mud spewed out of its mouth.

"Dodge it! Then use Vine Whip!" Chikorita leapt into the air and released its vines.

"Dodge it once more, Ros!"

"I don't think so!"

When Ros dodged the first vine, the second vine tripped it and it was smacked to death by both of them.

"End this with Razor Leaf!" Ros was hit by the Grass attack and fainted when it hit the ground.

"Ros!" Davin ran over and held the Mudkip his arms. "Are you okay?"

"Mud." It responded.

"Return, Chikorita." The grass-type Pokemon was called back. "Just as expected. It was predictable from the beginning." He turned to the opposite direction and began walking. "Not that a Varex trash like you could get stronger... but if you manage to do so or at least catch more Pokemon, we'll battle again."

Davin stared angrily at Haro as he faded from sight. "That creep! I'll show him! No one disrespects me or the Varex region and gets away with it!"


	3. Chapter 3 - On Route 102

"Your Mudkip is fully healed." said the Nurse Joy in Oldale Town.

"Thank you." Davin took the Poke ball and exited the Pokemon Center. He still couldn't believe he lost to a guy like Haro.

"_Well, the next time I cross paths with him, it'll be different. I WILL get stronger!_" He said in his head. He headed west towards Route 102, the way to Petalburg City.

"Since I'm on this route, I might as well catch some Pokemon." Davin thought aloud. He continued walking until he came across something. It was red and it was grazing through a bush.

"A Pokemon?" Davin took out his Pokedex.

"Wurmple, the Worm Pokemon. It lives among tall trees in forests and when attacked by its enemies, it raises the spikes on its rear to defend itself."

"Cool! I'll catch this one for sure." Davin threw a Poke ball. "Ros, I choose you!" The Mudkip appeared 2 feet from Wurmple, causing the bug Pokemon to lift its head out of the bushes.

"Alright, Ros! Use Water Gun!" The attack hit, making Wurmple stumble back. It quickly shook itself off and fired an array of purple darts that stung Ros.

"Hit it with Mud-slap!" Wurmple was soon splattered by mud from the water Pokemon's mouth. "Tackle!" Ros rammed its head into Wurmple's, causing it to sway in dizziness.

"Now, Poke ball! Go!" The Worm Pokemon was hit and the ball absorbed it. It shook back and forth with its red light blinking. Soon, the red light disappeared and the ball remained still.

"Yes!" Davin picked up the ball and held in the air. "I caught a Wurmple!"

"Mudkip!" Ros rejoiced.

Davin opened the Poke ball and Wurmple appeared in the white light. He knelt down to it and said, "Wurmple, from now on, you're a part of our team. Does that sound good to you?"

"Wurmple!" It said happily. Davin extended his arm and Wurmple climbed all the way up to his shoulder.

Davin smiled. "Just by looking at you, I can tell you're a good Pokemon at heart. So that's why I'm gonna call you Halo. What do you think?"

"Wurmple! Wurm, Wurm!" It rose its body up and down in agreement.

The two Pokemon were returned to their Poke balls. Davin felt really good at that moment.

* * *

A while later, Davin set foot into a town. "This must be Petalburg City! I'm going to head to the gym straight away!"


	4. Chapter 4 - Vs Norman

After a quick heal at the Pokemon Center, Davin entered the doors of the Petalburg gym. The inside of it looked like a dojo with a battlefield in the center.

"Wow, what a place!" Davin said. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Right then, the door on the far side of the gym slid open and a man with dark blue hair and a red jacket entered the room. "Why, hello there. I take it you're here for a gym battle?"

Davin nodded. "Yeah. My name is Davin, and if the gym leader's not too busy I'd like to have a battle with him."

The man smiled as he stepped on to the battlefield. "I'd be happy to battle you, Davin. I'm Norman, the Petalburg Gym leader."

Davin gasped. "I should've guessed." He went to his side of the field. "So what are the rules of this gym?"

"This will be a 4-on-4 battle. The first side to lose all of their Pokemon loses and only you are allowed to substitute." Norman explained.

"Uh... but I only have two Pokemon..." Davin said, disappointed.

"Only two?" Norman said as if he wasn't surprised. "Well, that's okay. Most of the trainers that come here have less than the standard amount. So how about we battle 4-on-2 and see if you can beat my Pokemon that way?"

"Sounds good!" Davin nodded.

Norman took out a Poke ball and threw it. "Okay, Vigoroth! Come on out!" A white ape with a violent look on its face appeared on the field.

"Vigoroth, the Wild Monkey Pokemon." said the Pokedex. "Its blood boils with energy, making it unable to keep still. It runs through fields and mountains all day to calm itself because it won't sleep at night if it doesn't."

"It looks powerful." The boy commented. He took out a Poke ball. "Let's go, Ros!"

The Mudkip appeared on the field. When it saw Vigoroth wildly stomping on the field, it took two steps back in fear. "Don't be afraid, Ros. Just do your best!"

"Vigoroth, use Slash!" Its claws glowed white and it rapidly scratched Ros, causing damage.

"Ros, are you okay?" It stood up, feeling shaky. "Use Mud-Slap!"

"Faint Attack!" Vigoroth dashed out of sight and quickly ambushed Ros with a tackle from behind. "Now, Slash once more!" Ros took a single, sharp scratch to the face and fainted.

"Return, Ros!" The Pokemon was quickly absorbed off of the field by its Poke ball. "At least you tried."

"You'll have to do better than that to defeat _my_ Vigoroth." Norman commented.

Davin held his next Poke ball in his hand. "Well, let's see what you can do. Halo, you're up!" His newest Pokemon appeared on the field. "All right, Halo, use Poison Sting!" Purple darts shot from its mouth.

"Take the hit, Vigoroth!" It did as its trainer commanded and the poison darts stabbed it, causing it to become poisoned.

"What? Why would you do that?" Davin asked, completely surprised.

"You'll see." Norman said, slyly. "Vigoroth, Facade!" The savage ape's body glowed in an orange, sparkly aura and it slammed into Halo, full force, resulting in a one hit knockout.

A speechless Davin listened to Norman's words. "As you just saw, Facade is a move that increases in power when a status ailment is inflicted on the user. Since Vigoroth was poisoned by your Wurmple's Poison sting, it resulted in your defeat."

Davin held Halo in his arms. "I never expected the first gym to be this powerful. I, for one, certainly got a big shock."

"Well, don't worry, Davin. I'm sure you'll get stronger as you gain some more experience." said the gym leader. "In fact, you should start by heading to Rustboro City. The gym leader, Roxanne, is at a lower level than I, so it'd be good to start there and work your way up."

"Rustboro City..." Davin thought. "Okay. That's where I'll go next!"

Norman smiled. "Great. Rustboro is just past the Petalburg Woods. Good luck."

"Thanks, Norman." Davin returned Halo to its ball. "And when I get strong enough, I'll come back and challenge you again!"

Norman nodded. "I look forward to that."

With that, Davin waved goodbye to Norman and headed for the town's Pokemon Center to heal before heading out.


	5. Chapter 5 - Forest Travel

"So this is Petalburg Woods..." Davin thought. He walked through what seemed like a forest maze. The trees blocked out the sun, making it dark and a little creepy, and each way he went was a dead end so it was hard to tell which way he was going.

"Ugh! This is hopeless! I have absolutely no clue on how to get out of here!" He screamed. "If only I had one of my flying Pokemon with me, I could use it to help guide me through." He turned from left to right, trying to find a hint to the exit, but no luck. He lowered his head and sighed. "What am I gonna do?"

"Slaaaaak." Davin heard. He looked up and saw something hanging from a tree: a brown sloth with dark brown stripes on its back.

"What's that Pokemon?" Davin opened his Pokedex.

"Slakoth, the Slacker Pokemon. Slakoth is the pre-evolved form of Vigoroth. It sleeps virtually 24 hours a day and just watching a Slakoth makes people feel drowsy."

"So, Slakoth evolve into Vigoroth!" Davin said, excitedly. He remembered how strong Norman's Vigoroth was and how it beat his Pokemon easily (of course, that was only because they hadn't gained much experience, but it was powerful all the same). "I wonder how strong _I_ could make a Vigoroth? Maybe strong enough to take down Norman's?"

The Slakoth began to swing back and forth, hanging from the tree branch with its paws, in a hypnotic-like motion. Davin's eyes followed and he yawned from the sight. "Wow. The Pokedex wasn't kidding, I _do _feel sleepy."

Davin took out a Poke ball. "Anyway, I'm gonna catch that Slakoth and raise to be the best it can be! Halo, I choose you!" The bug Pokemon appeared, making the forest light up temporarily. "Use Poison Sting on that Slakoth!" It complied and fired the poison darts, which Slakoth dodged by doing a flip while holding the branch. It then opened its mouth and yawned out a big bubble that headed towards Halo.

"Dodge it!" Halo avoided it with a swift roll to the left. "Now, use String Shot!" Silk came out of its mouth and it constricted Slakoth's right foot, making to the ground on its back.

"Hit it with Tackle!" It slid straight to its foe and slammed it into a tree. Slakoth held its head in pain.

"Now's the time! Go, Poke ball!" Straight to the head, the ball opened and sucked in Slakoth. The red light blinked as the ball moved. Soon, the ball held still and the light shut off.

"All right!" Davin picked up the Poke ball. "This Slakoth is mine!"

"Wurm!" Halo cheered.

"Good job, Halo! You were great." Davin tossed the ball and Slakoth appeared next to Halo. "Hey, Slakoth. I was wondering... since you live in this place, can you show us the way out?"

"Slak Slak." It jumped on to a tree branch and began jumping from tree to tree.

"Looks like it wants us to follow. Come on, Halo!" The Wurmple jumped on his shoulder and Davin took off after the sloth Pokemon.

Within 3 minutes into the forest, Davin could see light. "The exit! All right!"

But his joy was cut short when he heard Slakoth scream in pain.

"Slakoth!" Davin ran to where he heard the scream and saw Slakoth lying on the ground, shaking a bit. Behind it were three Pokemon that looked like strange mushrooms.

He took Slakoth in his arms. "Oh no! It's poisoned!" Davin took out his pokedex and looked up these strange Pokemon.

"Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon. If it senses danger, it will scatter toxic spores from the top of its head. It lives in damp forests and feeds on composited soil."

"So that's what happened..."

The Shroomish suddenly sprung forward to them, ready to use Tackle. "Halo, use your Poison sting!" All three were struck by the darts. Next, orange powder was released from their heads.

Davin quickly shielded Halo and held it in his right arm while the poisoned Slakoth was in his left. "Let's get out of here!" Since the Shroomish's eyes were closed when they released it, they didn't see them escape.

* * *

Outside on Route 104, Davin laid Slakoth on the ground. It was breathing heavy and was in real pain. "What are we going to do, Halo? We could take it to the Pokemon Center in Rustboro, but what if it doesn't make it?"

"Wurmple..." It said, worried. "Wurm? Wurmple!" It got Davin's attention and they both turned to the right. There were a few berries that were pink and had two small leaves on them.

"Pecha berries! Good eye, Halo!" He quickly picked one off the plant it was on and brought it back. He held it to Slakoth's mouth. "Slakoth, eat this. It'll make you feel better."

It slowly rose its head and sniffed the berry. Davin held the berry as the sloth began to eat it out of his hand. In no time, Slakoth was on its feet and back to the way it was.

"All right! You're better now, Slakoth!" Davin cheered.

"Slak Slakoth!" It was so happy that it gave Davin a hug. He smiled and returned it while saying, "I'm glad you're all right. Halo and I were worried you wouldn't make it." He pulled back from Slakoth so that they were face to face. "Speaking of which, since you're coming with us, how do you feel about me calling you Luck?"

"Slakoth?" It said, confused.

"Well, _I_ was lucky that I found you because you helped me get out of the woods, and _you_ were lucky because you were healed right away after being poisoned. Don't you think it fits you perfectly?"

"Slak, Slakoth!" It said happily.

Davin chuckled. "Okay. Halo, Luck, return!" Both disappeared inside their respective Poke balls and Davin turned to the north. "Roxanne, here I come!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Vs Roxanne

Davin, now in Rustboro City, stood in front of the gym where he would face Roxanne, the Rock type gym leader. He had already took his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center and he was more than ready for battle.

He entered through the automatic doors of the gym and gazed at the rocky battlefield where the battle would take place. "Figures she'd have a field that suited her element." He thought.

"You're here for battle?" A woman wearing a blue dress and brown hair in the shape of pigtails with pink ribbons stepped on to the far side of the field.

"Yes. My name is Davin and I challenge you!" He said as he took his place on his side of the field.

She smiled. "Very well. I, Roxanne, accept your challenge!" She motioned for someone to come and the judge for the battle came to the side of the field.

"The match between Roxanne and Davin will now begin!" he announced. "Each trainer will use 3 Pokemon. The battle is over when all Pokemon on either side are unable to battle. Lastly, only the challenger may substitute his Pokemon." Two flags were raised. "Begin!"

"Geodude, let's go!" Roxanne threw her first Poke ball and a boulder with eyes and fists appeared on the field.

"Ros, I choose you!" The Mudkip let out a battle cry upon release. "_Ros is a Water type, so I have the advantage. I could probably take out all of her Pokemon with just Ros._" Davin thought.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" With one pound of its fist, boulders erupted from the ground and came at Ros.

"Jump on the rocks and use Water Gun!" Ros did as commanded and leaped from boulder to boulder until Geodude came into sight. It shot a blast of water at it.

"Defense Curl!" It curled into a ball just as the attack hit. It appeared unaffected when it uncurled. "Use Rock Tomb!" Using both fists this time, it slammed the ground again and giant rocks surrounded Ros.

"Tackle!" Geodude jumped over the boulders and leaned in to ram the Mudkip.

"Water Gun, now!" The Rock type was forced high into the air by the attack. "Now, go in for Tackle!" With a strong jump, Ros slammed its head against Geodude in mid-air and the Rock Pokemon fainted upon hitting the ground.

"Geodude is unable to battle! Mudkip wins!"

"Good going, Ros!" Davin cheered.

"Mudkip!" It smiled at him.

Roxanne returned her Geodude and sent out another one just like it. She ordered for a Tackle attack and it rolled towards Ros. Davin called for Mud-Slap and the Geodude began to slow down as it rolled through mud.

"Tackle it, then use Water Gun!" Ros did as said and its opponent fainted.

"Geodude is unable to battle! Mudkip wins!"

* * *

Davin couldn't help but smile. "Two down, one to go!"

"Don't get cocky, Davin." Roxanne warned as she returned her Geodude. "My Geodude were just a warm up compared to my last Pokemon."

"Bring it on! Ros will take it out in no time flat!" He boasted.

A slight chuckle escaped her lips. "How foolish." She threw her last Poke ball. "Teach him a lesson, Nosepass!" A solid rock Pokemon with a huge nose appeared.

"No problem! Ros, use your Water Gun!"

"Zap Cannon!"

"Huh?!" Davin was surprised as an electric sphere formed in Nosepass's hands and was thrown at the oncoming water attack, causing an explosion. Unfortunately, the Zap Cannon was still coming in fast and it hit Ros, causing major damage to the Water type.

"Being a Rock gym leader, trainers always challenge me with at least one or two water types. That's why I taught my Nosepass to use Zap Cannon to deal with them." Roxanne smirked. "I told you not to get cocky."

Davin gritted his teeth. "_She's clever. She used her Geodude to throw me off guard, making me think Ros would land me an easy win. Then she brought out her Nosepass to completely overtake the battle._" He turned his gaze to Ros, who had electric sparks surrounding its body. "_And if Ros gets hit by another Zap Cannon, it's done for._"

Davin held up a Poke ball. "Ros, return!"

"Use Block!" Roxanne said quickly. A big X appeared in front of Nosepass and Ros was hit with it. When the Poke ball's light hit Ros, it bounced off of it.

"Oh no! Now I have no choice but to keep it in!" Davin was getting nervous.

"Just another part of my strategy." Roxanne pointed forward. "All right, Nosepass! Fire another Zap Cannon!"

Davin thought quickly. "Ros, counter with Mud-Slap!" The attacks exploded on contact and, to Davin's shock, Nosepass appeared right in front of Ros.

"Do it!" Nosepass fired a close range Zap Cannon, causing a cloud of dust to kick up. When it cleared, Ros was seen laying flat on the ground, unconscious.

"Mudkip is unable to battle! Nosepass wins!"

Davin let out a sigh and returned the Mudkip to its ball. "_This is just great. My only Pokemon with an advantage is out and I only have 2 that haven't even been in tough battles._" He sighed again as he got out another Poke ball. "Oh, well. Go, Halo!" The worm Pokemon appeared on the rocky field.

"Use String Shot around its legs!"

"Rock Throw!"

Before Halo could make a move, rocks came out of the ground and flew at the bug, causing heavy damage and a one hit knockout.

"Wurmple is unable to battle! Nosepass wins!"

Roxanne chuckled at her challenger's battle skills. "From what I've seen, Davin, you have a lot to learn about battling."

"_Oh, shut it!_" He thought as he returned Halo. "_I know plenty about battles! The Pokemon that I have are just not experienced enough!_"

Davin held his final Poke ball in hand. "I don't know what you're worth, but I guess I won't see it in this battle." He gloomily released his newly caught Slakoth, Luck, and it had a relaxed expression on its face.

"Time to end this! Nosepass, use Zap Cannon!"

"Dodge it!" Luck slowly avoided the attack by moving to the right.

"Now, use Yawn!" The Slakoth yawned a huge bubble that went over and popped in front of Nosepass, causing it to fall on its back and start snoring. Roxanne was a little surprised by this.

"Now that it's asleep, let's see if we can cause some damage! Luck, use Scratch!" Its claws glowed white and it slashed at Nosepass, but by the claws scraping at its solid body, Davin knew it wasn't effective.

To Davin's surprise, Nosepass woke up right after that. Roxanne ordered for Rock Throw and Luck was hit.

"Now, Zap Cannon!" More damage was dealt to the sloth as its body sparked with electricity. Luck was now down on one knee, holding its chest.

Davin sighed and lowered his head. "_What am I thinking? There's no way Luck can win this. All of his attacks against a Rock type like Nosepass are completely_ _useless... What else can I do but just stand here and let Luck lose on its own?_"

"Koth!" Luck suddenly shouted. Davin looked up and saw it struggling to stand up straight. Then, it held out its right arm and it glowed white. Luck jumped into the air and did a karate chop on Nosepass's head with the glowing arm, making Nosepass stumble back.

Roxanne gasped. "Is that possible?!"

Luck returned to its place and Davin just stared in awe. "Luck... you..." He swallowed and smiled, having had his spirits rise again. "All right! Time to turn this around! Luck, use Brick Break one more time!" The same process repeated, but with Luck striking Nosepass's side.

"We won't take that sitting down! Nosepass, use Zap Cannon!" The sphere of electricity fired, but Luck ducked its head to evade and charged toward its foe.

"Use Yawn!" Another huge bubble like before appeared and popped in front of Nosepass, sending it into slumber. "You know what to do! Brick Break, non-stop!"

As ordered, Luck began striking Nosepass from all angles of its body, causing great damage due to Brick Break being a Fighting type move and Nosepass being a Rock type. Eventually, when Nosepass had woken up, it stood for 2 seconds before falling down and fainting.

The judge raised his flag to the left. "Nosepass is unable to battle! Slakoth wins! The victor of this battle is the challenger, Davin!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Davin jumped into the air in joy. When he landed, he ran on to the field and picked up Luck. "You did it! Thank you so much! I should've never doubted you! You really live up to your name!" He talked excitedly.

"Slak-oth." It rubbed its hand behind its head in embarrassment as it blushed.

Roxanne stepped forward to the two after she had returned Nosepass. "That was an unexpected turn of events. I never expected my Nosepass to ever get taken down by a Slakoth."

"This little guy's special." Davin kissed it on the cheek, making Luck blush even more.

Roxanne laughed and extended her arm to Davin, revealing a small object that was shaped like a rectangle with two of its corners more emphasized then the others. "This Stone Badge belongs to you. Thank you for a great battle."

"Thank _you_." Davin grabbed the badge and held it into the air as he shouted with rejoice, "Yeah! I got the Stone Badge!"

"Slak!" Cheered Luck.


	7. Chapter 7 - Blue With Envy

"All right, guys! Eat up!" Davin placed three bowls of Pokemon food on the floor in front of the three. They happily began eating as Davin went to his backpack to get something. It was evening and they were at the Pokemon Center in Rustboro City.

Davin took out his badge case and looked at the Stone Badge. "_My first Hoenn badge! One step closer to the other seven._" He turned his gaze to his Slakoth as it was eating. "_And it's all thanks to you, Luck._" He poured another bowl of Pokemon food and placed it next to Luck's half empty one. "For winning us the badge, you get seconds!"

"Mud?" Ros looked up from eating in shock. "Mud Mudkip?" It questioned the boy.

As if he understood Ros's words, Davin replied, "I always give the Pokemon who gave me the win in a gym battle seconds for dinner. It's just a little reward to show how much I'm grateful."

"Mud..." Ros lowered its head sadly as it thought about the battle against Roxanne. It defeated her two Geodude with ease, but lost after getting hit with Nosepass's Zap Cannon twice. In truth, it wanted to do more during the fight, but it just didn't have the energy after the second blast.

Halo noticed its friend's sadness and crawled over to it. "Wurmple Wurm? (What's the matter?)" It asked.

"Mud. (Nothing.)" It replied.

"Wurm Wurm Wurmple Wurm. (There's obviously something wrong. I can see it on your face.)"

Ros sighed. "Mudkip... Mud Mud Mudkip. Mudkip Mud Kip. (I'm just... disappointed that I couldn't do more for Davin in today's battle)"

"Wurm Ple Ple. Wurm Wurm Wurm-ple Wurm Wurm. (But you did great. You told me you defeated two Geodude, right?"

"Mud Mud Mud-kip. (But that still wasn't enough.)

Their conversation was interrupted when the center's clock dinged 9:00 p.m. "Guess we'd better turn in. All right, guys, back in your Poke balls." Davin returned Halo to its Poke ball first before kneeling down to his Slakoth. "You can sleep outside with me tonight if you want."

"Slak-oth!" It nodded happily.

"Mudkip?!" Ros said in shock. Davin returned it before it could do or say anything.

* * *

3 hours later, in the rented bedroom, Davin was asleep with Luck on top of his chest above the sheets. Meanwhile, inside Davin's bag, Ros was in its Poke ball, wide awake, thinking.

"(_It's not fair. Why is Luck getting special treatment just because he took out one Pokemon? I mean, I took out two of them. Where's __**my**__ reward? I know that battles aren't about winning or losing, but... I just can't get this out of my head._) His eyes narrowed in anger. (_Another thing: I was here way before Luck came along. He's the one who should be in his Poke ball and I should be the one sleeping with Davin! I'm the one who got him this far! He should be treating ME like that! WHY ISN'T HE?!_)" Right then, the Poke ball opened by itself and Ros appeared next to the bed.

"(_Fine! If he doesn't care about me, then I won't be around to bother him anymore._)" He nudged the door open and made his way outside with no one noticing.

As he walked across the streets, Ros thought to himself. "(_Who needs Davin anyway? Sure, I was alone before he came, but I can make new friends just as easy now that I'm out of Professor Birch's lab. That way, Davin and Luck can be happy with each other and I won't be in the way._)" He continued thinking like that until he wandered into Route 116. "(_Oh, perfect! I can start by making new friends here. It may be a late at night, but I'm sure it'll be alright._" Ros looked around to see if he could spot any Pokemon or sleeping nests where they might be.

"(_Hmm..._)" He was getting annoyed from looking until he spotted four Whismur sleeping together while sitting up. "(_Maybe they'll be my friends!_)" He began poking them like a child would do to their parents when they wanted them to wake up. "(Hello? Wakey, wakey! Come on. Please? Wake up!)" He became frustrated, so he took a different approach. He fired a huge blast of Water Gun in their faces, waking them up immediately.

"(Finally! Hey, do you guys want to be friends?)" They didn't give him an answer, just angry looks. "(Hey, I know most Pokemon aren't night people, but come on. Wear a smile!)" Instead of smiling, all four began to glow while they grew in size. "(Uh... please tell me that's how all Whismur smile...)"

* * *

Meanwhile back at the center, without Ros's knowledge, Halo noticed his absence and it started poking Davin and Luck with the spikes on its rear.  
"OWWWWW! WHAT THE-!" Davin sat straight up, holding his nose in pain. Luck rubbed its back as it stood up. "Halo! What's your problem?!"

The Wurmple crawled over to his backpack and took out Ros's Poke ball. It opened it to reveal that it was empty.

"Ros is gone!" Davin realized. "Where did he go?" Halo gestured for them to follow it as it crawled out of the room. Davin decided to not change out of his white t-shirt and blue boxers and followed with Luck at his side.

* * *

"Muuuuuddddd!" Ros screamed as he dodged a Hyper Voice attack. The Whismur were now Loudred and they were seriously ticked off at being woken up by a puny Mudkip. "Mud! Mudkip Mud! (Can't we work something out?)" He tried to reason. They ignored him and fired a combined Flamethrower attack, which Ros narrowly escaped. "(_What was I thinking, waking up the pre-evolved form of a maniacal beast?_)"

He ran until a tree blocked his way. The four Loudred surrounded him so that he couldn't escape. Out of fear, Ros ducked and covered his head as he shook slightly. They were about release a group Hyper Voice until...

"BRICK BREAK!" All four were swept off their feet by a single, glowing karate chop aimed low to the ground. Ros looked to see that it was Luck who had done this. He looked beyond to see Davin and Halo as well. When the four Loudred stood up, they turned their attention to the newcomers and prepared Hyper Voice.

"Halo, use String shot!" It shot out its silk and wrapped all of them in its sticky hold, making the immobile. "Now, Luck! Finish them with another Brick break!" It rushed to the side of the Loudred on the far right and struck it, knocking it into the others upon impact. Feeling afraid, they all hobbled away as fast as they could.

"Great job, you guys!" Davin knelt down and rubbed their heads. He walked over to the Mudkip. "Ros, what were you thinking? Why'd you go off by yourself like that?" Ros avoided eye contact, feeling ashamed.

"Wurmple!" Halo got Davin's attention and reached into its scales to pull out Davin's Stone Badge.

"Halo, why do you-"

"Wurm!" It silenced him. It crawled in front of Ros and began explaining while gesturing to Ros, the badge, and Luck. It took a while for him to put two and two together until he suddenly said, "Oh! You're saying Ros is jealous because I gave Luck more attention due to him winning me the gym battle, right?"

"Wurmple." It nodded.

Davin grinned a little and came over to Ros. He rubbed the back of its head as he said, "Ros, you silly Mudkip. You worked hard during that battle. Just because I praised Luck a little more than I should've doesn't mean I care about you any less."

"Mud..." It lowered its head sheepishly.

"Listen, I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I didn't realize you felt that you had to win all the time to impress me. Even though we met a while back, you should know by now that I love you all equally, just not at the same time." Davin held it in his arms. "But you know you're special to me because you're the first Pokemon I got in the Hoenn region."

"Mud!" Ros brightened and rubbed its head against his chest.

Luck walked over to Ros and held its hand out. "Slak Slakoth? (Are we still friends?)" He asked.

Ros playfully tackled him to the ground. "Mud-kip! (You know it!)" It smiled.

Everyone laughed, having had their friendships restored and small misunderstandings fixed.


	8. Chapter 8 - Taking Things For Granite

"All right! Dewford Town!" Davin said in excitement.

(What happened was: Davin got a call from Professor Cypress, saying that she sent a map of the Hoenn region to his Pokegear so that he could find where the gyms are and where he is currently located. Afterwards, he asked around for ways to get from Route 104 to Dewford until a trainer with a Wailmer offered him a ride. Upon arrival, he quickly healed his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center and that's where this story starts.)

Although he was in a new town that had a gym, Davin had other things in mind. "From what I've heard from that guy with the Wailmer, there's a place called Granite cave, where there are tons of Pokemon. That place will be great for some training, especially for Halo..." He remembered how Halo was defeated by one hit knockouts at both the Petalburg and Rustboro gyms, not to mention it never won any battles outside of the gyms.

"Well, that's about to change!" He looked beyond north of the Pokemon Center. "If i'm not mistaken, it should be that way."

* * *

About a couple of minutes later, Davin entered the dark cave. "All right. First things first." He took out his party's Poke balls and released all three of them. "Okay, guys. Today, we're going to do some training for our battle at the Dewford gym. Basically, what we'll do is search for wild Pokemon and use them for improving your battle techniques. You all ready?"

"Mud!/Wurm!/Slak!" They agreed at once.

* * *

Later, about 3 minutes into the cave, they spotted something digging near a big rock; it was coated in silver.

"There's our first target!" Davin took out his Pokedex.

"Aron, the Iron Armor Pokemon. It lives deep in mountains and caves and when hungry, it occasionally will eat railroad tracks and cars."

"Okay. It's a Steel and Rock type, so you're up first, Ros!" The Mudkip quickly ran over to the digging Pokemon. "Start with Water Gun!" A blast of water knocked it away from its hole. It shook itself and glared angrily at its attacker. "Now, use Mud-Slap!" The Aron swiftly avoided the Ground type attack and slammed its head against Ros with force.

Davin blinked. "What a strong Headbutt... Ros, use Bide!" The Mudkip closed its eyes and began to faintly glow white. Aron's left front leg glowed and it struck Ros, who appeared to be undamaged. It bolted with another Headbutt and it hit, making Ros slide backwards, but the Water type continued to store energy. "All right, Ros! Release!"

It opened its eyes and let out a yell as the light turned into out-bursting energy. Aron was quickly flown backwards, hitting its iron head on a rock. It got back on its feet and burrowed into the ground.

"Perfect, this is just what we need! Ros, use your head fin to detect Aron's movements and dodge when it comes up!" It concentrated as the fin on its head began to twitch a little. Having found it, it jumped right as Aron came from right under it. "Awesome! Now, hit it with Water Gun!" The Aron's body shined and when the water hit, it seemed to have failed.

"Shoot! It used Harden. Mud-Slap, quickly!" The mud from Ros's mouth surrounded Aron's feet, making its movements slow down. "Go in with Tackle!" Still in midair from jumping, Ros pulled its arms and legs back and dived down like a rocket to hit Aron right in to its skull; Aron collapsed and struggled to try and get up from the cave floor.

"Cool, it's weakened." Davin took out a Poke ball. "You'll make an excellent addition to our team. Let's go, Poke ball!" Once thrown, the ball touched its head and the Pokemon was sucked inside. It rocked back and forth as the red light flashed. Then the ball stopped abruptly, red light out.

Davin picked up the Poke ball. "Yeah! I caught an Aron!" The three Pokemon cheered with him.

Davin released it from its ball and knelt down to it. "Welcome to the team, Aron! I hope we become great friends."

"Ar." It smiled shyly.

"Hmm..." He pondered. "Your nickname will be... Ferro! It means 'Iron' in Latin (or at least something similar). Do you like it?"

"Aron!" It nodded.

"All right, then. Back to training!"

* * *

Moving deeper into the cave with their new teammate, they continued their search. While walking, something swooped down from the roof of the cave, scaring everyone; it was a purple creature with crystal gems for eyes and sharp, scary teeth.

"What the heck is that?" Davin took out his Pokedex.

"Sableye, the Darkness Pokemon. It digs branching holes in caves using its sharp claws in search of raw gems to eat. Its eyes have become gemstones due to this diet."

"A Dark/Ghost type? Okay. Halo, this one's yours!" The Wurmple slithered over to face its enemy. "Use Poison sting!" Before Halo could attack, Sableye clapped its hands once, releasing a shock wave the blew the worm away. "It used Fake Out!"

The Sableye came running with its claws glowing white. "Here comes Fury Swipes! Halo, String shot!" The silk came out and was instantly shredded by Sableye's claws. It went for Halo and it scratched it in a wild frenzy.

"Are you okay?" Halo got up with ease. "Good. Try Poison Sting again!" The needles were fired. Sableye swatted them away with its claws; its eyes glowed red and black beams fired from both of them. "Dodge that Night Shade!" Halo reacted too late and was stunned by the attack.

"Come on, Halo! You've got to beat it!" Davin tried to encourage. "If you don't get stronger, you won't be able to win in battles." Though it heard its trainers words, Halo was in quite a bit of pain. "You've got to try, Halo! Come on! Do your best!"

Halo had its eyes closed as it tried to shake off the damage. "Wurm... Wurm... Wurrrrrrrrrrrrmmmm..." Right then, its body was overtaken by a shining white glow. Davin, Ros, Luck, Ferro and the Sableye gasped at once as the worm began to change shape. When the light faded, Halo was shown to become a white oval shaped Pokemon with spikes on its body.

"A Silcoon!" Davin shouted with excitement. He did what he always did with new Pokemon.

"Silcoon, the Cocoon Pokemon. Silcoon is the evolved form of Wurmple. It prepares for evolution using the energy it stored in its previous form. It always surveys its surroundings with its two eyes."

"Yes! All right, Halo, get ready!" Having gotten over its shock, Sableye came at it with Fury Swipes.

"Use Harden!" Its body shined, rendering Fury Swipes to minimal damage. "Poison Sting!" Sableye was hit the needles, causing it to become poisoned.

"Now, Tackle!" Halo shot itself into Sableye, but to no effect. "Aw, man! I forgot it's part Ghost, so Normal attacks won't work." Sableye took this chance and attacked with Night Shade.

Davin thought for a moment. "All right, Halo. You've done enough." He held out its Poke ball and it was absorbed back inside. "Okay, Ferro. Take over with Metal Claw!" It quickly responded and ran straight forward with its left front leg glowing. Sableye used Night Shade again, but Ferro dodged and hit it square in the face. That, plus the poison status effect, knocked it out.

Davin nodded with success. "All right. Good work." He held Halo's Poke ball and said to it, "You just rest. You've earned it." He smiled.


	9. Chapter 9 - Vs Brawly

"Luck, use Scratch one more time!" Davin ordered. Luck swiped its claws against a Zubat, making it faint. "Yeah! Great job." He turned to his Pokemon. "All right. I think we've done enough for today. Let's head over to the gym and win that badge!" They all nodded as they were returned to their Poke balls.

"Time to get badge #2!"

* * *

After quickly healing his Pokemon, Davin headed over and entered the gym; it looked like a normal gym from the inside, but he knew to expect something more. "I'm here for a gym battle!" He called out.

"Be right out!" A voice responded. From the other side of the gym, a guy with sky blue hair, wearing an orange shirt and jeans, came out from the back door. "Nice to meet you. The name's Brawly, and I'm this town's Gym leader!"

"My name's Davin. Hope you're ready to lose because I've been doing some serious training for this battle!" He said this as he took his place on the battlefield.

"Feeling confident, huh? Well, don't get too into it, dude, because I'm no pushover."

The judge for the battle came to the side of the field. "This battle between the gym leader, Brawly, and the challenger, Davin, will now begin! This will be a 3-on-3 battle. Only the challenger may substitute. Now, begin!"

Brawly threw out his first choice. "Go, Machop!" A small, yet muscular Pokemon appeared on the field. Davin took out his info tool.

"Machop, the Superpower Pokemon. It continually undertakes strenuous training to master all forms of martial arts. Its strength lets it easily hoist heavy objects onto its shoulders."

"A Fighting type... Okay." Davin threw out his Mudkip on to the field. "Ros, use Water Gun!" It fired its water attack, but Machop blocked it by shielding itself with its arm. "No way!"

"Way. I've trained my Machop to block any kind of attacks that come straight at it. Machop, use Bulk Up!" Machop flexed its arms as its body was surrounded in a crimson aura. "Now, use Karate Chop!" It came at Ros with its hand glowing white.

"_I thought he might do that._ Ros, use Bide!" Its body became outlined in white and it endured the Karate Chop.

"Aw, man!" Brawly said. "If I keep attacking, the damage it'll fire will be increased. Machop, get ready to block!"

The Fighting type put its arms in the shape of an X for defense. When Ros was ready, a white beam was shot from its body. Machop was forced back as it skidded across the field trying to hold on. Then there was an explosion and through the smoke, Ros came and Tackle'd it, causing Machop to faint.

"Machop is unable to battle! Mudkip wins!"

"Nice work!" Davin complimented.

Brawly returned his Machop. "Not bad. But this is just the beginning." He threw another Poke ball and it let out a Pokemon that was in a meditating position. Davin scanned it for information.

"Meditite, the Meditate Pokemon. It continually meditates for hours every day. As a result of rigorous and dedicated yoga training, it has tempered its spiritual power so much that it can fly."

"So this one's part Psychic..." Davin called back his Mudkip and sent out Halo in its place. "_It's still in its cocoon stage, but maybe by battling, it'll gain some power._"

"Meditite, Bulk Up!" Like Machop, it flexed its arms, a crimson aura appearing. "Now, let's take that Silcoon out with Focus Punch!" One of its fists glowed light blue and it charged foward.

"Use Harden!" Halo's body flashed as Meditite's Focus Punch was bounced off. "Poison Sting!"

"Reflect!" Meditite's eyes glowed light blue and a glass wall appeared in front of it, repelling Halo's attack. "Now, use Bulk Up, and follow with Focus Punch!" The process was repeated from before, but this time Halo actually flinched upon contact. "Keep using Bulk Up and Focus Punch until it goes down!" For 5 times in a row, Halo Harden'd and Meditite punched.

Davin grunted. "_Just hold on, Halo, for a little bit longer._"

Meditite came with another Focus Punch after using Bulk Up.

"Harden!" Halo tried, but it failed, causing it to be knocked into the ceiling. When it fell to the ground, it eyes were closed while it was laying on its back.

"Silcoon is unable to battle! Meditite wi-" The judge was cut off when he saw Halo's body glowing.

"Wha?" Brawly exclaimed.

"Ah!" Davin's eyes widened. Halo's round body began to grow wings and ascend to the air. When the glowing stopped, a butterfly took Halo's form. "The plan worked! Halo's evolved into Beautifly!" He took out his Pokedex.

"Beautifly, the Butterfly Pokemon. Beautifly is the evolved form of Silcoon. Its colorfully patterned wings are its most prominent feature. It flies through flower-covered fields collecting pollen and despite its appearance, it is quite savage when angered."

Davin looked up to his newly evolved friend. "All right, Halo! Are you ready to win?"

"Beau!" It chirped with energy.

"Okay! Use Gust!" It flapped its wings to create a heavy breeze, knocking Meditite off of its feet. "Now, Stun Spore!" Orange powder was sprinkled from its wings to paralyze the Fighting/Psychic type.

"Meditite, try to use Light Screen!" A faint light appeared on its body, but it quickly faded.

"Tough luck! Now, Halo, use Gust and make it a big one!" The butterfly rose to the ceiling and flapped its wings hard to create a huge typhoon-like wind. Meditite was blown to the ceiling and when it fell, it fainted.

"Meditite is unable to battle! Beautifly wins!"

Brawly returned the fallen Meditite. "Got to say... I didn't expect it to evolve at that moment."

"Scared yet?" Davin taunted.

"As if. My last Pokemon is tougher than Machop and Meditite combined!" The last Pokemon on Brawly's side was released, revealing it to be a bulky Pokemon with slit eyes and red circles on its cheeks.

The Pokedex stated, "Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. It loves to toughen up its body above all else. The strenuous training it undertakes in caves make quaking rumbles that people often hear."

"I'm not the least bit afraid! Halo, use Poison Sting!" It launched the poison needles out of its proboscis, landing a hit and causing Makuhita to be poisoned.

Unfortunately, to Davin's shock, Makuhita's body began to blaze with crimson aura.

Brawly smirked. "Guess you didn't know Makuhita had the Guts ability, huh? When affected with a status ailment, its attack increases by 50%." Davin gasped. "All right, Makuhita! Strengthen your attack more by using Bulk Up, then use Arm Thrust!"

The crimson aura increased in size, due to Bulk Up, then Makuhita jumped in the air began hitting Halo with its hands, one after the other. At the fourth hit, it sent the Bug/Flying type to the ground, causing a K.O.

"Beautifly is unable to battle! Makuhita wins!"


	10. Chapter 10 - A Brawl Worth Fighting

Davin gritted his teeth as he grunted. "Halo, return!" The defeated Pokemon was absorbed inside its ball. "Thanks. You were awesome." He looked at the powered up Makuhita. "_This is bad. Now that Guts is in effect, Makuhita can just keep on raising its attack with Bulk Up, making it even more stronger._" He took a deep breath. "_Okay, calm down. I'm saving Ros for last and since Luck's a Normal type, it would get knocked out in one move. Meaning I can try to tire it out with..._ Ferro!" Davin let out his newest addition on to the field.

"Bad move, dude. A Steel and Rock type like Aron has no chance against Makuhita's Fighting type moves." Brawly stated. "Go and use Vital Throw!"

"Ferro, Harden!" Makuhita threw a punch, only to have it be blocked by Ferro's body stiffening. "Use Headbutt!" A direct hit landed on Makuhita's center.

"Bulk Up, then use Reversal!"

"Avoid it with Dig!"

Ferro quickly burrowed into the ground while Makuhita charged up. "Get ready to strike when it comes up, Makuhita!" It crouched down, looking around the field. Ferro quickly came up from Makuhita's left. "Now!"

"Dodge and use Headbutt!" Ferro jumped on Makuhita's fist to launch itself in the air and dove down to deliver the blow.

"Nice try! Vital Throw!" It swung its arm into Ferro's head. Then Makuhita grabbed it and flung it across the field.

"Ferro, no!" It laid on its side, knocked out.

"Aron is unable to battle! Makuhita wins!"

Davin's eyebrows narrowed as he recalled the Iron Armor Pokemon. He took out his last Poke ball and released his Mudkip. "Ros, it all depends on you. Don't let me down!"

"Mudkip!" It lowered its body in readiness.

" 'kay, Makuhita! Let's Bulk Up and finish this battle with Arm Thrust!"

"Prepare yourself, Ros!"

Makuhita's body flowed with Fighting-aura and it ran at the Mud Fish Pokemon. "Go, Ros! Bide!" The Mudkip was pushed back by Arm Thrust as it concentrated its increasing energy.

"Continue with Vital Throw!" It punched Ros into the air and slammed it back to the ground with another punch. Davin knew that Brawly was planning something since his opponent knew that Bide increased when the user takes damage.

"Another Arm Thrust!" After dealing the attack, it jumped back to its side of the field. Ros unleashed the massive energy beam and Makuhita was blasted into the wall. However, it managed to get up despite the visible injuries.

"All right, I know you're up to something! What is it?" Davin said.

Brawly smiled. "Still don't know your battle moves, do you? You've seen all of Makuhita's moves and you still couldn't figure it out."

"What are you talking about?"

"Makuhita, use Reversal!" Light blue energy began to gather in Makuhita's fist. "You see, Reversal is a move that gets stronger when the user is low on energy. And since Makuhita just took double the damage it did to your Mudkip, with increased power up by Guts and multiple Bulk Up's,-"

"-IT'LL BE A ONE HIT KNOCKOUT!" Davin horribly realized.

"Bingo! Makuhita, do it!" It flung itself over with its fist overpowering with loads of energy. Ros could only stare in great fear as it came closer.

"Ros, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A huge explosion occurred on impact and the victim flew into the air and hit the ceiling, which left a huge hole. Ros fell with a thud, lying face down.

"Oh..." Davin lowered his head in defeat.

"Mudkip is unable to battle! Makuhi-"

"Muuud!" Ros interjected. Ignoring the massive damage it just took, the Mudkip struggled to stand.

"No way! That was a sure one hit K.O.! How can it still fight?!" Brawly could barely believe that the small Pokemon managed to stand on three legs.

Davin closed his eyes and smiled. "That's Ros's spirit." He said in an almost whisper. Ros lowered its head and closed its eyes with its body enveloped in a light blue.

"Oh no! Is it using Rest?" Brawly said, worried.

With renewed hope, Davin proudly said, "That's right! Meaning that it's regaining health as we speak!"

Brawly grunted. "I won't let that happen! Makuhita, Vital Throw!"

"Maaaa... kuuuu..." It tried to lift its arms, but it didn't have the strength.

"Ahh! The damage from Bide and that huge Reversal drained its energy!" Brawly said, now terribly worried. Soon, the glow from Ros' body deceased and it stood, looking good as new.

"This battle ends now! Ros, give your best Water Gun!"

"Muuuuuuuud-kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip!" It fired a huge blast of water from its mouth, knocking Makuhita into the wall again. This time, it _didn't_ get up.

"Makuhita is unable to battle! Mudkip wins! The victor of this battle is the challenger, Davin!"

"OH, YEAH!" Davin shouted with a click of his heels. He ran over to Ros and squeezed the life out of him. "Ros, you wonderful Pokemon! You actually won! I'm so proud of you!"

"Mu-Mud...k-k-kip." It choked.

Brawly recalled Makuhita and walked over to Davin. "That battle was totally awesome! I actually underestimated you back there."

Davin set down Ros, who exhaled with relief. "We may not seem like worthy opponents at first, but our spirit and strength always pull us through!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Brawly smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out a badge that was shaped like a boxing glove. "As proof of your victory, here's the Knuckle Badge!"

Davin took it from his palm. "Thanks, Brawly!" He held it over his head. "Yeah! The Knuckle badge is ours!"

"Mud Mudkip!" Ros cheered.


	11. Chapter 11 - Seashore Pop

After earning the Knuckle Badge, Davin decided to spend the night at the Dewford Pokemon Center. Early the next day, Davin saw a guy getting ready to leave the island in a white speed boat and asked him if he could drop him off at Slateport City, the town he had to pass through to get to the city where the next gym is. The man agreed and dropped him off at the shore of Route 109.

"So Slateport's just up ahead? All right, then. No point in wasting time." Before he started to run to the city, Davin felt the immense heat of the sun's rays on his face. "Man, it's scorching out here!" He fanned himself with his hand. "Wonder if there's some place I can get a drink..."

He searched the beach until he found a shack that had a sign near it.

"Seashore House." Davin read. "Worth a look, I guess." He entered—sighing of relief from the lack of sun since he was inside—and noticed four people inside. There was a little boy in swim trunks wearing a yellow inner tube, a blonde haired woman in a purple tube top, a man dressed in a sailor outfit, and a guy by a drink cooler. You can guess that Davin rushed over to the drink cooler guy first.

"Excuse me. How much is it for a bottle of Soda Pop?"

"Are you a trainer?" The guy asked.

"Yeah...?" He answered, a bit confused.

"Well, then it's on the house..."

"Really?!" He reached for the cooler.

"...only if you defeat the other trainers here."

"_Really_?" He sounded a bit disappointed. "Well, if it's battles you want to see, I'm up for it!"

* * *

Davin went over to the little boy, who introduced himself as Simon; he sent out his Azurill while Davin sent out Luck after he scanned the blue Pokemon with his Pokedex.

"Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokemon. Its tail is filled with nutrition, making it very bouncy. It is often seen bouncing in lakes and rivers."

"Azurill, use your Bubble attack!" Clear white bubbles escaped from its mouth.

"Luck, use Brick Break!" It charged through the bubbles with ease and hit Azurill on its head with a fierce chop of its paw, making the blue mouse faint.

Simon returned Azurill and sent out what looked like a plump version of his previous Pokemon.

"Marill, the Aqua Mouse Pokemon. Marill is the evolved form of Azurill. Its body is covered with water-repellent fur, making it able to swim at high speed without being slowed down."

"Use Yawn!" The Marill fell asleep instantly after Luck's yawn bubble popped in its face. "Scratch attack!" With a single slash, the Marill fainted.  
Simon returned his Marill and told the winner that he wouldn't cry, even though he lost.

Davin's next opponent was Johanna, the blonde woman, who sent out a Goldeen. Since there was no water, it just flopped on the ground.

"Goldeen, the Goldfish Pokemon. With the horn on its head, it metes out staggering damage. Schools of these Pokemon are seen swimming up falls and rivers in the springtime."

Davin sent out Ferro and ordered for a Headbutt, which knocked Goldeen into the ceiling, resulting in a one hit K.O. Johanna returned her Pokemon while commenting that the battle was 'hot'.

Last, but not least, was Dwayne, the sailor, who sent out a Wingull while Davin called on Ros.

"Wingull, use Supersonic!"

"Dodge, Ros, and use Tackle!" The move made contact. "Now, Water Gun!" A spray of water took the seagull down.

Next up was a Machop, who started out with Low Kick.

"Jump and use Tackle!" That, followed by Water Gun, took it out.

Lastly, Dwayne let out a light blue squid Pokemon with red spots on its head.

"Tentacool, the Jellyfish Pokemon. Its body is almost entirely composed of water. It ensnares its foe with its two long tentacles, then stabs with the poison stingers at their tips."

"Tentacool, use Poison Sting!"

"Avoid it, then use Tackle!" Ros jumped out of the way and landed a direct hit on its head, resulting in a win.

Dwayne said that he accepted his lost because Davin gave him a 'hot' battle.

* * *

Afterwards, Davin frowned. "I'm kind of disappointed. I mean it's great that I won and all, but those battles were way too easy. None of them put up a real fight. What do you think, Ros?" There was no answer. "Ros?" He turned to look down at the Mudkip and saw it shaking. "Ros! What's the matter?"

"MUUuud...MUUUUuuuudd...kiiiIIIPP..." Its voice rose up and down in pitch until it started to glow. Davin's mouth dropped as he saw his Pokemon starting to stand up and its front legs turning into arms. When it stopped glowing, Ros looked like a totally new Pokemon.

"WHOOOA! You evolved into Marshtomp!" Davin opened his Pokedex.

"Marshtomp, the Mud Fish Pokemon. Marshtomp is the evolved form of Mudkip. Its toughened hind legs enable it to stand upright and it is able to move faster in mud than in water."

Davin could only smile as he embraced his second evolved Hoenn Pokemon. "This is great, Ros! Now, we'll be able to win tough battles for sure!"

"Marsh!" It agreed.

* * *

Later on, Davin received his soda pops from the guy, and he went back out to the beach; he and Ros settled themselves under an umbrella—along with Luck and Ferro—and they all took a sip of their Soda Pop as they felt the nice cool breeze through their skin and the calming sound of the waves moving against the shore.

For them, this was truly relaxing.


	12. Chapter 12 - Rivalry Among The Path

After leaving Route 109, Davin went to the Pokemon Center in Slateport City and healed his Pokemon. Seeing as there was nothing that interested him in said city, he headed on to Route 110, which would take him to Mauville City to get his next badge. While walking, he saw that there was a bicycle road to his right and up ahead, a big house with a sign that read, "Trick House," which he didn't want to check out since he disliked tricks and puzzles.

While continuing on through a bending grass road that was built over the water, Davin looked ahead and saw someone. Someone he had not wanted to see for a _long_ time: Haro, who was sitting on a red bicycle looking out towards the water.

Although he held a strong dislike for him, Davin decided to approach him and try to be nice. Who knows? He might've changed since we last met, he thought.

"Haro!" The blonde turned his attention to where his name was heard. "Hey. How've you been?"

"What's it to you, Varex trash?" He replied coldly with his eyes shut.

Davin narrowed his eyes. "_I was wrong. This guy hasn't changed a bit!_" He made another attempt to be nice, asking, "So how've your battles been going?"

"Well, if you want to be nosy about it..." Haro reached into his backpack and pulled out a case, opening it to reveal four gym badges, two of which were from Rustboro's and Dewford's respective gyms.

"You already have four?!" Davin shouted. It was unbelievable to him that his rival had more badges than him. "Wait. If you have gym badges, does that mean you're entering the Hoenn league?"

Haro smirked. "Don't you catch on fast." That earned him a glare from Davin. "Why would you think I wouldn't enter when I have Pokemon with me? You're a lot more clueless than I thought."

"What?!" Davin shouted. "_Screw being nice! This guy's a total ass!_"

Haro turned away from Davin on his bike. "Get lost. I don't have time for one of your trashy comebacks." He started to pedal away, but Davin ran ahead and blocked his path with his arms spread out. "Move it before I run you over!"

"Not until we have a battle! I'm going to make you eat those insults about me and my home region!" He said with a flare in his eyes.

Haro looked into them with irritation and got off his bike; he laid it on the side of the path and went behind Davin. "Fine then. I guess seeing that look on your face when you lose is worth to spare time."

Davin turned around and stepped five feet back. "This won't be like last time, I can guarantee you that!"

Haro scoffed. "Let's go how we intended to do last time: 4-on-4." He grinned. "But, knowing you, that lame Mudkip is probably the only Pokemon you have."

"He's not lame! And, FYI, I _do _have four Pokemon this time! So just shut up and let's get started!"

"Whatever." Haro threw the Poke ball he already had in his hand to send out a weasel with white fur and brown stripes on its back.

"What's that Pokemon?" Davin opened his Pokedex.

"Linoone, the Rushing Pokemon. Linoone is the evolved form of Zigzagoon. It is exceedingly fast if it only has to run in a straight line. It uses its sharp claws to capture pond-dwelling prey underwater."

Davin took out a Poke ball. "This'll be a piece of cake. Luck, I choose you!" The Slacker Pokemon was let out on the grass field with a 'Bring it!' look on its face.

"A Slakoth?" Haro slightly grinned. "A lazy Pokemon suits a lazy trainer, I suppose."

"Cut the jokes! This Slakoth isn't called Luck for nothing! Go and use Brick Break!" Its paw glowed as it went towards the enemy.

"Dodge." Haro nonchalantly said as Linoone obeyed with blinding speed.

"Luck, use Scratch!"

"Linoone, use Fury Swipes!"

Both Normal types had glowing white claws and came at each other, but Linoone was swifter and slashed Luck across its face and its abdomen. It proved to be powerful as Luck could barely stand.

"Don't worry, Luck! Just use Slack Off!" It yawned and its body started to glow slightly, restoring its health. "Good. Now, use Yawn!"

"Dodge it!" Once again, the Linoone used its speed to avoid Luck's yawn bubble. "Rock Smash!" White light overtook its right paw and it slammed it into Luck's chest.

"Heal yourself with Slack Off!"

"Use Charge Beam!" Linoone's body became surrounded by electric sparks and a massive blast of electricity was unleashed, striking Luck and making it faint.

"Luck!" Davin ran over to it and helped it up. "Are you okay?"

"K-koth..." It nodded slowly.

"Take a good rest." He returned it to its ball.

"What happened to that nonsense about luck you were talking about earlier?" Haro grinned. "Guess your luck has run out."

"Don't underestimate me, Haro! This battle just started!" Davin then sent out Ros, his recently evolved Pokemon. "Still think he's lame? Now, he's a Marshtomp!"

"Really? How long has it been evolved?" Haro asked calmly.

"Uuuuuuhh..." Davin sweatdropped and shifted his eyes to his right, rubbing his face with his finger in embarrassment. "He's been like this since... you and I had our battle! He evolved right after you left."

"I'm not stupid." Haro said as he called back his Linoone. "Knowing you, it probably evolved just a few minutes ago."

"It did not!" He yelled, when in actuality it did.

Haro took out his second Poke ball. "Let me show you a real evolved Pokemon. Bayleef, let's go!" The ball released a big pale yellow Pokemon with curled leaf-like growths surrounding its neck. A scythe-shaped leaf was on top of its head.

"Bayleef?" Davin looked it up.

"Bayleef, the Leaf Pokemon. Bayleef is the evolved form of Chikorita. The buds around its neck release a spicy aroma that makes people happy. The aroma has also been known to restore health."

"So _that's_ Chikorita's evolved form. How long as _it_ been evolved, huh?" Davin mocked.

"None of your business! Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!" It swung its leaf, releasing a swarm of razor sharp leaves.

"Dodge them, Ros! Then use Mud Shot!" It leapt out of the way and sprayed multiple bullets of mud from its mouth, striking Bayleef and slowing down its speed. "Now, use Water Gun!" Bayleef was sprayed, but to no effect.

"That's the best you can do? I've seen better damage dealt at a school for pre-trainers. Bayleef, use Giga Drain!" Its body glowed yellow-green and the leaves around its neck released two vine-like energy beams that constricted Ros; he yelled in pain as the vine-beams began to steal his energy.

Davin gasped. "Ros, you've got to get out of there!" The Water/Ground Pokemon struggled to get free, but to no avail. The vine-beams let him go, green sparks appearing on his body as he grunted.

"Okay, Ros. Use Rest!"

"Don't let it! Use Vine Whip!" Real vines came out and slapped Ros across the face twice, then they picked him up, spun him around in the air and tossed him down, making him the second Pokemon in the battle to faint.

Davin facepalmed and returned Ros to his ball. "You were great. Good job."

"Good job? It didn't do anything!" Haro told him in annoyance. "I can't stand it when trainers like you always congratulate their Pokemon at times when they don't even deserve a smile."

Davin ignored him. "Halo, go get 'em!" The Beautifly fluttered out of its Poke ball and let out a cry.

Haro laughed a bit. "Okay. Now, I _know_ you're pathetic. Seriously? A Beautifly? If you ask me, Pokemon like them are only suited for little girls, which you're not too far from being."

"Shut UP! Halo, show him how much power you have by using Gust!" A strong wind came from its flapping wings that made Bayleef flinch. "Go! Stun Spore!" The orange powder left Bayleef frozen in its place.

"Aggh!" Haro let out.

"That's right! Now, Beautifly, finish it with Aerial Ace!" Halo dived down with streaks of light engulfing its body. It landed a clean hit, straight to Bayleef's neck, resulting in the Grass Pokemon to fall over on its back and faint.

"HA, HA! Way to win, Halo! That training we did back on the beach really paid off! Who's the little girl now, Haro?" Davin boasted with above average happiness.

His opponent sneered and returned his fallen Bayleef. "Dumb luck. I doubt that little pipsqueak of yours can get past this one." The Poke ball he threw let out a tan Pokemon with a spike on top of its head and two arm-like appendages; it levitated in the air.

"Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pokemon. It moves by spinning on its single foot. It has been depicted in murals adorning the walls of a once-bustling city in an ancient age."

"Are you kidding me? Bug Pokemon have the advantage over Psychic types, so this won't be hard at all! Halo, Mega Drain!" A dark-green beam shot out of its proboscis at the opponent.

"Baltoy, Confusion!" Its body became outlined in blue, as well as the Mega Drain, and it was destroyed where it froze. "Use Ancient Power!" A clear, white ball formed in its arms and it was thrown, exploding on contact with Halo.

"Counter with Stun Spore!"

"Blow it away with Rapid Spin, then use Psybeam!" Baltoy followed its commands, forcing Halo to the ground and making it faint.

Davin gritted his teeth as he recalled it. "I've still got one more! Ferro, get your butt out here and use Headbutt! Now!" The Aron did as instructed upon release.

"Baltoy, return!" Baltoy's body glowed red and disappeared, signifying that it had gone back to its ball. "Now, Linoone, come back out and use Water Pulse!" The Rushing Pokemon appeared and shot a sphere of water from its paws. Ferro was hit and slid across the grass, instantly knocked out.

Davin was breathless as he put both of his hands to his face and fell to his knees. "No! Not... again..." He was so upset that he let out a quiet sob.

Haro returned his Linoone, grabbed his bike, turned it south toward Slateport city and rode off, but not before calling Davin 'Pathetic Varex trash'.

Davin laid his body face down and did nothing... nothing at all.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Mysterious Girl

"Hey!... Are you okay?... Please wake up... Please..."

Davin slowly opened his eyes. It took a moment for them to adjust his vision, but when they did, he saw a girl leaning over him. She had medium brown hair that reached to the sides of her neck, a white shirt with a red skirt and sky-blue eyes.

Davin blinked twice before sitting up and holding his head. "W-Where... am I?" He looked around to see he was in a bedroom with posters of Pokemon and their trainers, along with some things that a typical girl would put in her room.

"You're in a house in Verdanturf Town." She explained, handing him a cup of hot tea. "I was walking down the path on Route 110 when I found you and your Aron passed out."

"Aron...?" Davin gasped. "FERRO! I forgot I didn't call him back!" He turned to the girl with worry in his eyes. "Where is he?"

"He's fine." She said with a smile. She put the side of her hand to the side of her mouth as she called out, "Hey, Aron! Your trainer's awake!"

Right on cue, Ferro came dashing from the other room and jumped into Davin's arms. The boy sighed as he rubbed its head. "Thank goodness you're all right."

"Ar, Ar!" Ferro replied happily.

The girl giggled. "He was pretty hurt, so I used some medicine I had to make him better."

Davin turned his attention to her. "Thank you so much. My name's Davin, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Maura." She smiled. "So... how did you end up like that? You know, passed out on the ground?"

Davin frowned, knowing exactly why, although he was afraid to tell. This girl had gone out of her way to help him and he didn't want to burden her with his problems. "It's... a long story."

To his surprise, Maura pulled up a chair and sat down. "I've got plenty of time."

He smiled and mentally chuckled at her curiousness, so he told her what had happened.

* * *

"Wow..." Maura said after listening. "That must've been hard for you. I'm really sorry."

"It's alright." Davin said, stroking Ferro's back as it slept. "I can't understand why Haro hates the Varex region. He hasn't dropped any hints that I can figure out and he's so obnoxious all the time. That's why I want to beat him so badly; so that he can see that you can't base someone's strength just by where they're from."

Maura put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to convince him."

He smiled and nodded to her. "Well, enough about me. What about you? I see you're interested in Pokemon by the posters you have."

Maura blushed a little and averted his gaze. "Well... you see... I _am_ a Pokemon trainer, but... it's kind of a side feeling."

"What do you mean?" He asked, head cocked a bit to the side.

She looked him in the eyes. "You've heard of Pokemon Contests before, right?"

"Yeah. I have a friend back home who partakes in them." He said, referring to Leyna.

"Well... I'm interested in them, too." She closed her eyes. "This may sound silly, but... I want to become a Pokemon Master _and_ a Top Coordinator."

"Really?" Davin blinked. "I've never heard of someone taking part in both contests _and_ battles."

"Well, it's a rare thing in some places." She smiled.

"So... how many ribbons and badges have you earned?" He asked curiously.

Maura stood up from her chair and walked over to a black handbag. She dug into it and came back to the chair with two cases, one white with a Poke ball symbol and one blue with a ribbon symbol. "It's not much, but..." She opened both cases; the Poke ball case revealed the Stone Badge and Knuckle Badge while the ribbon case held a green ribbon with a golden shape in the middle. "...I'm not that good."

Davin smiled. "Well, I don't know much about contests, but with gym battles, I'd say you're on your way. Check it out..." He dug into his pocket and pulled out his badge case, showing her the exact two badges she had. "You and I are pretty much equal."

Maura laughed a bit. "That's a relief. For a second, I thought I was alone."

Davin smiled. He then suddenly frowned as he remembered what he was doing before he encountered Haro. "That's right! Maura, which way is Mauville City from here?"

"It's just east, past Route 117. Why?" She asked as Davin returned Ferro and got his backpack from the side of the bed.

"Before I saw Haro, I was on my way there to get a badge. Sorry to leave so soon, but I've got to go." Davin was almost out of the room when Maura shouted, "Wait a minute!", making him stop and turn around.

She stood up from her chair. "I was planning on going there to earn a badge as well. Why don't we go together?"

Without giving it a thought, Davin nodded. "Sure! That'd be nice." For some reason, he liked this girl; not just because she helped him, but because she was somewhat unique compared to the other trainers he's met.

Maura grabbed her handbag and they both exited her house, running toward Mauville.


	14. Chapter 14 - Raging Sparks

After a quick heal at the Pokemon Center, Davin and Maura stood in front of the Mauville Gym.

"You ready?" Davin asked.

"Always." Maura nodded.

They entered through the automatic doors and saw the battlefield in the middle of what looked like a power plant with electricity rods surrounding the entire place.

"Looks like we're going to be battling an Electric-type user." Davin noted.

From the automatic doors in the back of the gym, an old man with a white beard, wearing a brown aviator jacket and yellow pants, entered and stepped on to the field.

"Well, hello there. You must be new challengers. I'm Wattson, the Mauville Gym Leader."

"I'm Davin. And this is Maura." He introduced.

Wattson eyed the two trainers curiously. "So which of you is going first?"

Davin and Maura looked at each other; they hadn't thought about that since they both rushed their way here.

The boy suddenly smiled and said, "You go first, Maura."

"What? Are you sure?" She asked, surprised.

"Think of it as a 'thank you' for helping me." He winked at her, making her blush.

"Wahahahah!" Wattson laughed heartily. "You two are quite the couple!"

Now Davin was blushing. "No! It's not like that! She just... well..."

"Aw, don't worry! I _completely _understand." Wattson added emphasis to his voice as he held his chin with two fingers. Davin said no more as he made his way to the bench that was to the right of the field.

Maura took her place on the field. "All right, Wattson! Don't think just because I'm a girl, that I'll go easy on you!"

"Wahahahah! I'd expect nothing less!" He called for the judge as he took his place at the side of the field.

"The battle between Gym Leader Wattson and the challenger, Maura, will now begin! Each trainer will use four Pokemon. The battle is over when all Pokemon on either side is unable to battle. Lastly, only the challenger may substitute." He crossed his flags. "Begin!"

"Now, Voltorb! Let's go!" Wattson let out a Pokemon that had the appearance of a Poke ball with two eyes.

"A Voltorb..." Maura took out her Pokedex, which was pink and had a female voice compared to Davin's.

"Voltorb, the Ball Pokemon. Rumors say that it was created when a Poke Ball was exposed to a powerful pulse of energy. Because it explodes at the slightest shock, many people treat it with caution."

Maura took out her Poke ball. "Okay, Poochyena! You're up first!" The ball released a puppy with gray fur and black coloration on its face, feet and the inside of its ears. It lowered its body and growled intensely.

"So Maura's got a Poochyena..." Davin took out his Pokedex as its male voice responded.

"Poochyena, the Bite Pokemon. It savagely threatens its foes with bared fangs. Its acute sense of smell lets it track down its prey easily."

"All right, Voltorb! Use Rollout!" It shut its eyes as it rolled toward its opponent.

"Poochyena, jump on top of it and try to balance yourself!" It followed orders and leapt into the air just before Voltorb was able to hit it and got on top, frantically moving its feet to try and stay where it was.

"Ah! That must be her contest skills in action..." Davin noticed.

"Voltorb, use Selfdestruct!" The ball glowed and exploded, covering the field with smoke. When it cleared, both Voltorb and Poochyena were lying on their backs, unconscious.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! The first battle ends in a draw!"

Both of them returned their Pokemon and took out new Poke balls.

"Magneton, come on out!" A Pokemon that looked like three Magnemite stuck together was sent out.

"Corphish, let's go!" A small, red lobster appeared on Maura's side of the field.

Davin scanned both Pokemon.

"Magneton, the Magnet Pokemon. Magneton is the evolved form of Magnemite. It generates powerful radio waves that raise temperatures by 3.6 degrees F within a 3,300-foot radius."

"Corphish, the Ruffian Pokemon. When it grips on to its prey, it will refuse to let go. Its hardy nature allows it to live in any environment."

"A Water type against an Electric type? Wahahahah! That's not a wise choice!" Wattson stated.

"You let me worry about that." She pointed to Magneton. "Corphish, Bubble Beam!" Light blue bubbles were launched from its pincers.

"Dodge, Magneton, then use Thunder Wave!" It levitated up, avoiding the attack, and released a blue wave of electricity. Corphish was hit and it shook as blue sparks surrounded its body. "Now that its paralyzed, use Shock Wave!"

"Corphish, Protect!" A green dome-shaped shield blocked the electric attack. "Now, use Dig!" It burrowed underground slowly due to its paralysis.

"Keep an eye out for it, Magneton! Well... three eyes, in your case. Wahahahah!"

Magneton sweatdropped at its trainer's corny joke and tried to find Corphish. To its surprise, it took a direct and quick hit from behind.

Wattson was surprised as well. "What speed! But how?"

"You'd be surprised what your Pokemon can do when you raise their endurance against paralysis." Maura proudly said. "Now, Corphish! Crab Hammer!" One of its pincers glowed white and it smashed it into Magneton, making it go unconscious.

"Magneton is unable to battle! Corphish wins!"

Davin was shocked. "Amazing! She's raised that Corphish well!"

Magneton was returned as Wattson took out another Poke ball. "Wahahahah! You're not doing bad over there, little miss! Although, this battle isn't over yet!" The ball was thrown and a green Pokemon with thunderbolt markings was sent out.

Maura took out her Pokedex.

"Electrike, the Lightning Pokemon. It generates electricity using friction from the atmosphere. In seasons with especially arid air, its entire body blazes with violent showers of sparks."

"Interesting... All right, Corphish, return!" The red light absorbed it back and Maura's next Poke ball was in her hand. "Go, Minun!" A mouse with large, blue ears and a tail shaped like a minus sign was let out.

"Minun, the Cheering Pokemon." Davin's Pokedex informed. "Simultaneous exposure to electricity from a Plusle and Minun will promote circulation and boost vitality. It uses pom-poms made of sparks for cheering."

"_Electric against Electric? This'll be_ _something..._" Davin thought.

"Minun, use Quick Attack!"

"You use Quick Attack too, Electrike!"

Both Pokemon charged at lightning speed and collided, canceling each other out.

"Electrike, use Shock Wave!"

When Electrike began charging electricity, Maura whispered to Minun, "Fake Tears."

Minun winked at her and began bawling as tears appeared in its eyes.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Wattson asked. Electrike stopped charging and looked at the crying Pokemon.

"I don't get it. Why's it crying?" Davin asked, totally clueless.

Maura smirked. "Iron Tail!" Minun abruptly stopped crying and hit Electrike with its glowing tail.

"Wahahahah! So it was using Fake Tears! Now _that_ is amusing!" said Wattson.

"You've seen nothing yet! Minun, use Thunder!" It began to build up electricity as its cheeks sparked.

"Electrike, use Quick Attack!" It dashed forward to strike, but it wasn't quick enough as a huge blast of electricity hit it, causing it to stumble backwards and faint.

"Electrike is unable to battle! Minun wins!"


	15. Chapter 15 - Blazing Memories

Wattson returned his Electrike. "Only one Pokemon left, eh? Wahahahah! This hasn't happened in a while!" He took out another Poke ball. "Although, this one is sure to give you trouble!"

Wattson threw the ball and a blue canine with a yellow mane and yellow clumps of fur on its hind legs was sent out. It had a fierce look on its face.

"What's that?" Davin took out his 'dex.

"Manectric, the Discharge Pokemon. Manectric is the evolved form of Electrike. Because lightning falls in their vicinities, Manectric were thought to have been born from lightning. In battle, they create thunderclouds."

Maura only smiled as she called back Minun and took out her fourth Poke ball. "Like I didn't see this coming. People who I ask about the Mauville gym always tell me about your so-called 'Ultimate Thunder Crusher', but this Pokemon will outshine it!"

She tossed the ball and a big and tall red Pokemon with a hooked beak, hair-like feathers sticking out of its head and red and yellow coloration on its body appeared in a flash of fire.

"Whoa! What is that?!" Amazed at how cool and powerful it looked, Davin flashed opened his Pokedex.

"Blaziken, the Blaze Pokemon. It learns martial arts that use punches and kicks. Every several years, its old feathers burn off, and new, supple feathers grow back in their place."

Maura smiled wider. "All right, Blaziken! You ready to win?"

"Blaaaaaaze!" It shouted as fire burned from its wrists.

Wattson was a little impressed. "A Blaziken, huh? It may look strong, but only battle will prove its strength! Manectric, use Quick Attack!"

"Blaziken, use Brave Bird!" It launched itself forward as a blue aura surrounded its body. Both attacks collided, but Manectric's Quick Attack was weak compared to Brave Bird and as a result, it flew into the ceiling upon impact.

"Now use Fire Punch!" Fire engulfed its right fist and as Manectric fell, it landed a blow to its body. When it hit the ground, Wattson encouraged it to stand, but the attacks proved too much for the electric Pokemon and it fell unconscious.

"Manectric is unable to battle! Blaziken wins! The victor of this battle is the challenger, Maura!"

"Yes!" Maura went to her Pokemon. "Excellent work as usual, Blaziken!"

"Blaziken." It nodded.

Davin was in awe and shock. "_What the heck? She has a Pokemon that strong and she only has __**two**__ badges?! That doesn't make any sense!_"

Wattson recalled Manectric and approached the winner. "Wahahahah! Maura, you're one excellent trainer! You've obviously raised your Pokemon well."

"Thank you. I do my best." She smiled.

Wattson pulled out a badge that looked like a coiled wire. "As a result of the electrifying battle you gave me, I'm proud to give you this Dynamo Badge!"

She took it in her hand. "Thank you very much."

Davin walked over to them. "Congratulations, Maura." He half-smiled at her, feeling suspicious about her win. He turned to Wattson. "So when can you and I battle?"

Wattson frowned. "Well, as you saw, my Pokemon were defeated, so I have to go heal them. How's about we have our battle tomorrow, Davin?"

"Sounds good to me!" Davin nodded with a full smile.

* * *

A couple minutes later, Davin and Maura were sitting at a table booth in the Pokemon Center while Maura's Pokemon were outside of their Poke balls, eating. Despite the gym battle being kind of short, it was already in the afternoon, proven by the setting of the sun.

Both were silent until Davin spoke. "Maura, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Was is it?"

Davin turned his head to her Fire/Fighting Pokemon. "Well... your Blaziken is super strong and it took out Wattson's Manectric in two moves. How come your other Pokemon aren't as strong as it? And better yet, where did you get it?"

Maura just grinned. "Oh, that's an easy one. You see, Davin, I'm not from this region."

"You're not?!" Davin was stunned. "Then how come all the Pokemon that you have are native to Hoenn?"

Maura sighed. "I guess I'd better start from the beginning." She turned her head to the window as she spoke. "I was born and raised in Blackthorn City, which is in the Johto region. I always loved Pokemon when I was growing up, but I could never be a Pokemon trainer, which was frustrating for me. But that frustration disappeared when my tenth birthday came." She frowned. "Unfortunately, my parents were in debt at the time and they couldn't buy me a Pokemon. Plus the regional professor, Prof. Elm, was visiting an unknown region, so I couldn't get one from him either."

She smiled again. "Then, I came up with an idea and I asked my parents to call Prof. Birch in Hoenn so he could send me a Pokemon from there." She closed her eyes as she remembered via flashback at what happened next.

**Flashback **

_One week after the call, Maura went to her mailbox and found a brown package that had "From Professor Birch" on it. She jumped up and down excitedly, grabbed the package, and ran inside._

_"MOM! DAD! IT CAME! IT CAME!" She shouted at the top of her lungs._

_Her mom entered the living room. "We're not that far away, honey. You don't have to shout so loud."_

_Her dad entered next, rubbing his left ear. "You can say that again. I could've suffered hearing loss from that."_

_Maura giggled. "Sorry. I'm just so excited! Can I open it now?"_

_Her mom nodded. "Go for it."_

_Without wasting a second, she peeled off the tape that was sealing the opening and found an enlarged Poke ball along with five smaller ones and a Pokedex. She gently picked up the Poke ball and let out what was inside: An orange chick with yellow feathers sticking out from its head._

_"AAAAAAAAHHHH! A TORCHIC!" She screamed. She picked it up and began rubbing her face against it, much to its discomfort._

_"She's certainly happy." Mom told dad._

_"Too happy, if you ask me." He said, rubbing his ear again._

_Maura put Torchic down and hugged her parents. "Thank you so much for calling Professor Birch! This is the happiest day of my life!" She let go of them and went back to Torchic, laying down to meet its gaze and caressing the back of its head. "It's nice to meet you, Torchic. I just know we're going to be great friends!"_

_"Torchic, Tor." It grinned._

**End Flashback **

"From then on, I started my journey in Johto. I collected all 8 gym badges and entered the Johto league. Sadly, I didn't win." She turned to look at Blaziken. "It was on that journey that Torchic evolved into Combusken and then into Blaziken."

"So _that's_ why its strong..." Davin said. "But that still doesn't explain why the others are weaker."

"I was getting to that!" Maura said, annoyed. "During my journey when I went to Olivine City, a Pokemon contest was being held there. Blaziken, who was Combusken at the time, and I watched the whole thing from the television at the Pokemon Center. Before that day, I thought contests were just dumb beauty pageants for Pokemon. But then..."

**Flashback**

_"Only 4 minutes left in this magnificent contest battle!" The MC announced._

_The battle was between a woman by the name of Fedora, who had long, bright green hair that reached her waist and was wearing a pink and black dress with red heels, and a young girl named Haley._

_Fedora was using a Tyranitar and Lapras against Haley's Jumpluff and Skarmory._

_"Jumpluff, use Bullet Seed! Skarmory, use Air Cutter!"_

_The Cottonweed Pokemon fired glowing seeds from its mouth while the Armor Bird Pokemon flapped its wings to release crescent-shaped wind blades._

_"Tyranitar, Fire Blast!" The Armor Pokemon released a star shaped fire attack from its mouth, destroying both Air Cutter and Bullet Seed at once._

_Fedora raised her hand in the air as she called out her commands. "Now, Tyranitar, use Sandstorm! Lapras, use your Blizzard!"_

_Tyranitar whipped its tail to create a sandstorm while Lapras released a blizzard from its mouth. Both attacks went into the air, creating a swirling and eye-captivating ice and sand combination._

_"Oh my! Sandstorm and Blizzard combine to make a beautiful creation! It looks just like an exotic star from the milky way!" The MC said._

_Maura was truly amazed. "That's so astounding! I never would've thought two simple attacks could make something so... so... Wow!"_

_The shining blue and brown star came toward the opponents. They tried to destroy it with Solar Beam and Hidden Power, but the attacks simply bounced off. Soon, an impact was made and Skarmory and Jumpluff were knocked out._

_"That decides it! With only 3 minutes and 36 seconds to spare, the winner of the Olivine City Pokemon contest is Fedora from Ecruteak City!"_

_The crowd stood up and made thunderous cheers at Fedora's performance._

_Maura was still amazed at what she saw on the screen. She turned to her Pokemon. "Combusken, wasn't that amazing?!"_

_"Combusk." It nodded._

_Maura looked at the television again as Fedora was awarded the ribbon. "She's really good. Never have I known that Pokemon could be so amazing in competitions like this." She smiled. "Maybe I could be like her... maybe I can make my Pokemon just as beautiful... It wouldn't hurt to try..."_

**End Flashback **

"From that day, I started to compete in contests; to my shock, I lost every one I entered. Until I came to Hoenn, I never made it past the appeals round, so I did my best to work on my Pokemon's beauty and skill while still focusing on their battle techniques."

"That's really cool..." Davin smiled. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"ALL RIGHT, ALREADY!" She shouted. Quickly regaining her composure, she continued. "A year later, I decided to go to Hoenn after my journey was over and I decided to leave all of my Pokemon, except Blaziken, at my house." She turned to her Pokemon. "That's when I caught these guys, so naturally they would be weaker than Blaziken." She turned to Davin, annoyed. "Happy?"

"Yes." He nodded. "But..."

"WHAT NOW?!"

"Since Blaziken's more experienced than your other Pokemon, why didn't you use _it_ first in your battle against Wattson?"

Maura calmed down. "My goal for this region was to use Blaziken as less as possible in gym battles and only focus it on contests; I only used it to beat Manectric because I knew it was Wattson's strongest Pokemon."

"I see... One more thing." This earned Davin a scowl of annoyance from her. "If you're from Johto, what were you doing in that house you brought me to when I was passed out?"

"That's my aunt's house." She explained. "I used to visit and spend the night there when I was younger. That's why I have a room there; sometimes, I visit her now and then, which is why it was decorated to my liking."

"Oh..."

"Any more questions?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Nah." He chuckled. "That's it."


	16. Chapter 16 - Vs Wattson

The following day, Davin awoke early in the Pokemon Center and quickly went to the gym with Maura, who decided to watch.

Wattson stood on his side of the field while Davin stood on his.

Wattson grinned. "Well, Davin, you've already witnessed how I battle. Are you nervous? Wahahahah!"

"Not a bit! I've already come up with a strategy on how to beat you." He grinned.

After the rules were said, the battle begun. Wattson threw out Voltorb while Davin threw out Halo.

"Wahahahah! I suppose this is part of your strategy? You should know as well as anyone that Flying types are weak against Electric types." Wattson said.

"You'll see soon enough. Halo, use Mega Drain!"

"Dodge and use Spark!" Voltorb rolled out of the way and began to rotate while blue electricity shot out of its body.

"Dodge it, then use Aerial Ace!" Halo flew under the Spark and flew at Voltorb with its body engulfed in white streaks of light.

"Selfdestruct!" Before Halo could make contact, Voltorb exploded, resulting in the backblast hitting Halo. As expected, both Pokemon were unconscious.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! The first battle ends in a draw!"

The next battle was Magneton vs. Ferro. Magneton started off with Supersonic, which Ferro avoided by using Dig.

Magneton was hit and countered with Sonic Boom, which was blocked by Harden.

"Ferro, use Dig!"

"Use Shock Wave to prevent it!" Magneton's attempt failed as Ferro continued digging, even while it was hit.

"Send a Sonic Boom towards the hole!" Magneton's magnets glowed and a large, white shock wave followed Ferro. A boom was heard, but nothing happened.

"What?" Wattson said.

Davin smirked. "Do it!"

Ferro tackled Magneton from the ground, making Magneton faint.

"Magneton is unable to battle! Aron wins!"

Wattson returned Magneton and called out Electrike.

"Use Leer!" It glared at Ferro menacingly, causing the Steel/Rock type to flinch. "Quick Attack!" It landed a hit, but Ferro was still in.

"Dig, let's go!" Ferro landed a hit with no trouble since Electrike's attacks weren't effective against it.

* * *

Skipping to later in the battle, Ferro had defeated Electrike and went up against Manectric. To Davin's dismay, Ferro was paralyzed by Thunder Wave and couldn't move, resulting in the Aron losing after being hit with Shock Wave and Quick Attack, the latter being powered up by Howl.

Next, Davin used Luck, who started out with Brick Break. Manectric dodged and used Thunder Wave again, immobilizing it. Eventually, Luck fell the same way Ferro did.

* * *

Last, but not least, Davin called out Ros.

"This battle is over, Wattson! Ros, use Mud Shot!" Bullets of mud escaped from its mouth.

"Dodge, Manectric!" It did so, but it was hit in mid-air by another Mud Shot.

"Use Water Gun!" The blast of water hit its mark. "Now, Tackle!" Another hit landed.

"Finish with Mud Shot!" Manectric was hit again and it fell unconscious.

"Manectric is unable to battle! Marshrtomp wins! The victor is the challenger, Davin!"

"Oh yeah!" Davin cheered. "You were great, Ros!"

"Marshtomp Marsh!" It smiled.

"Congrats, Davin!" Maura said.

Wattson walked over to Davin. "You did well, young man." The Dynamo Badge was in his hand. "Take this as proof of your victory!"

"Thank you, Wattson." He took the badge and did his usual thing after winning something.

"Ha Ha! I got the Dynamo Badge!" He yelled.


	17. Chapter 17 - Savor The Flavor

"So, Maura, where are you headed off to now?" Davin asked as they walked through Route 117; he had decided to follow her back to Verdanturf Town.

"Well... to the north of Mauville City, there's a place called Fallarbor Town, where there's a contest, but near there is Lavaridge Town, which has a gym." She sighed. "I don't know which one to go to first."

Davin grinned. "Well, just choose what you feel you need to do most. In gym battles, you're going to have to do more training since you're holding back Blaziken for contests. As for contests, you only have one ribbon. You're gonna need more than that to enter the Grand Festival."

Maura thought for a moment and nodded. "You're right! I'll head to Fallarbor Town first!"

"Good." Davin nodded.

"But... there's something else I'm trying to decide..."

"What is it?"

Maura took out her ribbon case and opened it to see her ribbon. "Since I only have one ribbon, I'm thinking of maybe skipping gym battles for a while and focus on my contests. After all, I've got three badges and, if necessary, I can use Blaziken to get me out of tough spots. I wonder..."

"Follow your heart." Davin stated, making her look at him. "You're the one who's on this journey, so it's up to you to decide whether to do something or not. It doesn't matter which one you choose because you'll always succeed if you work hard." His smile lessened. "At least, that's what I learned while I was in Varex."

Maura stared at her ribbon and announced, "Then it's settled! I'm going to concentrate on contests and skip the next few gyms!"

"That's great!" He nodded.

When they arrived in Verdanturf Town, Maura suddenly shouted, "Oh no! I forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Davin tilted his head.

She turned to him. "You see, at my last contest, I used up all of my Pokeblock, so I have to make more."

"Pokeblock?" Davin asked in confusion.

"What? You've never heard of Pokeblock?!" She said, stunned.

"Well, it's not exactly known where I come from."

Maura suddenly grinned. "Well, in that case..." She grabbed Davin's arm and led him to a big red building.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?"

"To the contest hall, dummy." She said jokingly.

"That's a contest hall? It looks different from the ones in Varex." Davin noticed.

"They're different in all regions. You get used to it." She said.

When they entered, Maura led Davin to a table with a machine that had four red diamond-shaped buttons surrounding a round dome-circle.

"This is a Berry Blender." she explained. "These are what people use to make Pokeblock, which is an edible treat for Pokemon. Most trainers use Pokeblock to make their appearance more presentable in contests while others just use it for a snack to give their Pokemon."

"Interesting." Davin noted. "So how are they made?"

"You put in different kinds of berries and the machine will automatically blend them, depending on which button you press." Maura said.

She went into her handbag and pulled out a box case, which was revealed to have berries when she opened them. "The flavor of the Pokeblock depends on what berries you use." She took out a piece of paper. "This list states which of my Pokemon prefer what kind of Pokeblock, so I won't forget."

"Sounds like fun! Can you show me how it works?"

She nodded. She took out a red berry that was round and had tiny spike-like things on it and began cutting it up with a knife, which she pulled out from her bag. "You have to cut the berries, so that they'll be blendable." Next, she took a small blue berry and began cutting. "The berry that I'm cutting is called an Oran berry; the other one's called a Tamato berry." Then, she opened the container, placed the berries in and pressed the diamond button that was northeast, which made the dome-circle rotate. "And that's it. Now, we just wait."

"That's awesome! I didn't know you could do something like that!" Davin was getting more and more excited as he watched.

Suddenly, the dome-circle stopped and three purple cubes popped out from the bottom. Maura gathered them in her hand and showed them to Davin. "And _that's_ how you make Pokeblock!"

"So, what kind of Pokeblock did you make?" Davin asked.

"They're spicy. Both Tamato and Oran berries have spice in their powder, so I use them both when I need to make spicy Pokeblock."

Maura took out a Poke ball. "Blaziken, come on out!" The Blaze Pokemon appeared in a flash of light. She handed it one of the Pokeblock. "Look. Here's some Pokeblock for you."

"Blaz!" It excitedly took the cube and plopped it into its mouth, causing it to grin from the fabulous taste.

"Being a Fire-type Pokemon, Blaziken loves the spicy kind." She explained. "Once I started feeding these to it, it constantly begged for more."

"Cool..." Davin said.

Maura turned to him. "You probably don't have a Pokeblock case, do you?"

"Pokeblock case?"

She took out something that looked like a pez dispenser with a Poke ball on it. "Like the name suggests, you use these to carry the Pokeblock that you make." She put the remaining spicy Pokeblock she had into the case.

"Like I said, they're not known in Varex, so obviously I wouldn't have one." He said.

"Well, today's your lucky day!" She took out another one from her bag. "I was going to use this extra one to store more Pokeblock when my first one was full, but you can have it if you want."

"Really? Thanks!" He took it from her and looked at it with awe. "Hey, Maura? If it's alright with you, can I use some of your berries to make my own Pokeblock?"

She nodded. "Sure. I've got plenty to spare, not to mention I can always pick some from the trees nearby."

* * *

After hearing a lecture from Maura about the flavors of Pokeblock, what berries contain which flavor, and how a Pokemon's nature depends on its taste, Davin borrowed a few Cheri, Pecha, Rawst, Chesto, Persim, Bluck, Mago and Lum berries to create four kinds of Pokeblock with the colors blue, green, red, and pink.

He let out all of his Pokemon. Judging from instinct, he gave Ros the blue ones, Halo the pink ones, Luck the red ones and Ferro the green ones.

"Everyone, these are Pokeblock. Try them and see if they're good."

Each of them took a bite, which resulted in Ros sticking his tounge out in disgust, Halo fluttering her wings happily, Luck rapidly brushing his tongue off to get rid of the taste, and Ferro making a face like he just sucked on a lemon.

"That bad, huh?" Davin sheepishly grinned.

Maura laughed at their reactions. "Looks like your Beautifly is the only one that's enjoying it."

"Really?" Davin was so focused on his male Pokemon disliking it that he forgot to see that his only female one was eating with a happy expression.

"So is it good, Halo?"

"Beau, Beautifly!" She chirped a 'Yes'.

Davin pondered. "Let's see... from what you told me, Maura, the pink ones represent the sweet flavor, the red ones represent spicy, the blue ones dry, and the green one's bitter, which means that Halo prefers sweet flavored Pokeblock because of its Jolly nature, right?"

"That's right! You're getting it, Davin!" Maura cheered.

Davin took out his Pokedex and looked up the data on his Pokemon. "Okay. According to the Pokedex, Ros has an Adamant nature while Luck has a Calm nature and Ferro has a Naive nature. So..."

Davin gave the spicy Pokeblock to Ros, the bitter Pokeblock to Luck, and the extra sweet Pokeblock to Ferro. "Try them now."

The guys were a bit hesitant, but they each took a bite, resulting in Ros's eyes widening in amazement, Ferro humming to himself as he ate, and Luck licking the green Pokeblock like it was an ice cream cone.

"Problem solved!" Davin rejoiced. "Now I know what kind of Pokeblock to make for you all!"

They all rejoiced as they kept eating their new treat with happy faces.


	18. Chapter 18 - Not Alone

After exiting the contest hall and gathering a few supplies, Davin and Maura traveled north of Mauville City and went past Route 111 to Route 112. They were standing on a mountain path, where to the left was a cave and to the right was a cable car service station.

"What?! You mean you're not going to come and cheer for me at the contest?" Maura shouted.

Davin rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Maura, but I've got a journey to complete. I don't have a second trainer option like you, so I can't skip my gym battles. I hope you understand."

She sighed and smiled. "I guess I do." She pointed to the station. "That cable car will take you to Mt. Chimney, where you'll have to go down the Jagged Pass to reach Lavaridge Town." She pointed to the cave. "And that's the Fiery Path. If you finish your gym battle and want to come see me, just go through there and go past Route 113 to reach Fallarbor Town."

Davin nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Maura." He turned to leave.

"Davin?" She spoke, grabbing his shirt. He turned around and saw her looking away and blushing a little. "Promise... that we'll meet up again one day."

He only stared at her for awhile, confused and somewhat happy, until he smiled and said, "You can count on it! That way, next time we meet, you can show me how many ribbons and badges you've got and maybe we could even have a battle."

She looked disappointed for a second, but quickly shook it off. "Uh... yeah. We can... totally do that." She let go of his shirt and turned towards the cave. "Good luck, Davin. I'll see you in the Hoenn League." And with that, Maura left to further accomplish her goal.

"_She's a nice girl._" Davin smiled to himself.

He turned to go to the station, but stopped. "Hmm... Now that I think about it, I don't know what type of Pokemon the Lavaridge gym leader will have (though, based on the town's name, I could assume it's Fire, but I can't be too sure)." He faced the path towards Mauville City. "Maybe that place Maura talked about would be the perfect place to do some training."

She had told him of Route 118, east to Mauville City, which she said was a quiet, sandy beach where people rarely visited, giving Davin an opportunity to train without any bothers. "All right, then. That's where I'll go!"

* * *

Running down the path of Route 111 and running east of Mauville, Davin arrived at the specific location. "Wow! This place is kind of pretty." He said, noticing the flowers on the grass area and the water slightly rising into the sand. "Well, let's get started! Come on out, everyone!"

Ros, Halo, Luck and Ferro materialized upon the sand. "Okay, guys. Our next stop is going to be the Lavaridge gym. There's no telling how strong the gym leader will be, so let's start training!" They all cheered with energy.

Back in Verdanturf, Maura gave him various objects for him to train his Pokemon, such as bull's eye stand-up targets and flying discs. Davin decided to divide the training evenly: He put Ferro and Luck at the targets while he put Ros and Halo at the discs.

"Okay, Luck, use Brick Break!" Its left arm glowed and destroyed its target by slicing it from the top.

"Ferro, use Metal Claw!" Its front leg glowed and it destroyed its target by hitting it in the center.

"Excellent, you two!" Davin said. Next, he tossed two red discs into the air. "Ros, use Water Gun on the one in front of you! Halo, you do the same, but with Gust!" The Marshtomp pushed the disk into the air with its water move and Halo made it fly further in the air with the wind it created from its wings.

Davin frowned. "Well, that was useless! These disks are only useful for improving _contest_ moves." He sighed. "Maybe they'll be useful for practicing long range special attacks. But for the time being, it looks like we'll just have to use the targets for now."

From the beginning to the end of the sandy beach, he set up the targets to surround his team in.

"All right, guys! This time, use any move you want, but make sure to break the targets accordingly!" They all nodded and jumped into the air at once; Ros used Mud Shot to take out five, Luck used Scratch and took out two, Halo used Aerial Ace to destroy four, and Ferro used Headbutt to destroy three. "Not bad, everyone. You took out every target..." He faced south of the beach where the river was. "...except that one."

"Slakoth, Slak." Luck stepped forward.

"You're saying you want to do it?"

"Koth." It nodded.

Davin pointed to the target. "All right! Go for it!" The sloth dashed across the sand, charging for its Brick Break attack, and it knocked the bull's eye into the river by hitting it sideways.

Unknown to the others, the target hit something under the water and it became _very _angry.

"That was great, Luck!" Davin acclaimed.

"Slakoth." It smiled.

Davin faced his backpack. "Okay. I'll set up more targets." He was about to get them when he heard a strange bubbling noise. "What is that?"

"Mar Marsh!" Ros pointed to the river, where small bubbles that appeared were signifying that something was coming up.

"What could it be?" Davin wondered aloud. His question was answered when a fish Pokemon jumped out of the water and lunged towards them. They all got out of the way, just in time, to see the fish plummet into the sand. It spit sand out of its mouth and glared at Davin and the Pokemon in rage.

"What kind of Pokemon is that?" Davin took out his only source for that question.

"Carvanha, the Savage Pokemon. Carvanha attack ships in swarms, making them sink. Although it is said to be a very vicious Pokémon, it timidly flees as soon as it finds itself alone."

"That doesn't seem to be the case with this one." Davin noted.

Carvanha lunged at the group again, this time with its body glowing in a golden aura.

"It's using Take Down! Run!" Again, Carvanha missed, gaining itself another mouthful of sand.

"What's its problem? Why does it keep attacking us?" Davin wondered. Once again, his question was answered when he saw the target that Luck hit float to the surface. "I get it! The target must've hit Carvanha when it was in the water."

He faced the angry Pokemon. "Listen, Carvanha! We didn't mean to hurt you with that target. It was an accident." To no avail, the Carvanha came with another Take Down, the same event repeating itself. "Looks like it's not going to listen, so I guess we have no choice. Ferro, use Dig!"

The Aron dug a hole and disappeared. When Carvanha got itself out of the sand, it was quickly hit from underground, sending it into the air. "Halo, use Mega Drain!" The dark green energy from her proboscis caught it and stole its energy, giving it to her.

"Ros, use Mud Shot!" A stream of mud came out of his mouth and hit Carvanha in mid-air.

"Now, Luck, finish it with Brick Break!" The sloth did a karate-style chop on the piranha and it fell to the ground.

Davin grinned. "That should do it." To his shock, the Carvanha could still move, but was heavily damaged. It still showed everyone its rage-filled glare.

"_What determination! It seems it wants revenge for getting hit by the bull's eye and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop until it gets what it wants. Maybe if put into the right hands, it could use that persistence to do good. Should I...?_"

"Car... Carvanha!" It hopped across the sand to attack.

"I guess so!" He took out his signature catching tool. "Go, Poke ball!" It tapped Carvanha's forehead and absorbed it. The ball shook with its flashing red light, the Pokemon inside trying to struggle its way out.

Eventually, the Poke ball opened and the Savage Pokemon appeared, still heavily damaged.

"WHAT?!" Davin shouted in extreme confusion. "It still got out with all that damage?!" The Pokemon started to move towards them, slowly.

"Halo, use your Stun Spore!" The Bug/Flying type's orange powder spread through Carvanha's body, paralyzing it.

"Now, let's try this again!" He threw a Poke ball and Carvanha disappeared again. It shook back and forth, again and again, until it stopped with the red light fading away.

Without a word, Davin picked up the Poke ball and sent out the Water/Dark type into the water. It panted heavily, showing that despite its toughness, it was extremely tired. He got a Potion from his backpack and sprayed it, making Carvanha flinch in pain from the stinging.

"You okay?" He asked it with a smile.

"Car!" It averted his eyes in disappointment.

Davin tried to pet it, but he immediately pulled back at the slightest touch of it. "Ow! That hurt! What the-?" He took out his Pokedex.

"Carvanha's ability, Rough Skin, damages its foes when being hit with a physical move. It is known that Carvanha can choose whether to make its skin rough or not."

"So _that's_ it..." He said. "Look, Carvanha. I hope you understand that that target hitting you was a total accident. We were just training to get strong for our upcoming gym battle; we had no idea you were even down there."

"Car..." It still didn't look at him.

Davin smiled. "Your pride is hurt, isn't it?" That caused Carvanha to look at him. "The Pokedex said that you're only tough when in a group, but cowardly and shy when alone. But, you're different. You feel that you have to be alone in order to make others think you can be tough by yourself, is that right?" Carvanha lowered its eyes down to the water. "There's nothing wrong with being with other people, especially if they're people who like and care about you. You can always depend on them whether you need them or not. That's what makes them so special."

"Carva..." It said to itself, taking in what he said.

Davin stretched out his hand. "So, what do you say, Carvanha? Do you want to be on our team and work together to win?"

It stared intently at him. Eventually, it nodded. "Carvanha."

Davin tried to pet it again, but was reluctant. Carvanha gave him a nod and he smoothed his hand across its now soft body.

Davin grinned. "Welcome to the team... Ira."

"Car, Car!" It smiled.


	19. Chapter 19 - Battle In The Jagged Pass

After going through more training, Davin headed back to the cable car station on Route 112 and took one of the cars to Mt. Chimney. To his surprise, the mountain's volcano made the area rain in ash.

He noticed a path to his right from the station and entered it, where a bunch of steep, sharp ledges and rugged rocks made up the area. "The Jagged Pass..." Davin said to himself. "The name speaks for itself."

He had to hop over a few big rocks and small ledges before he came across the exit. "Well, that was easy enough." He only took one step before someone from behind said, "Hey, you!"

He turned around to see a boy with a Poke ball in his hand. "You're a trainer, right? Let's have a battle! The name's Landon."

Davin blinked twice. "_Short and to the point, aren't you?_ Sure. Let's do it! My name's Davin."

"To make it interesting, let's have a double battle!" Landon said.

"Cool with me. I haven't been in a double battle for awhile." Davin said, getting his Poke balls ready.

Landon threw out his Pokemon. "Hariyama! Ninjask! Let's go!" The two Pokemon made their appearances on the only grass part of the area.  
"So its Hariyama and Ninjask..." Davin took out his Pokedex to identify the latter.

"Ninjask, the Ninja Pokemon. Because it darts about vigorously at high speed, it is very difficult to see. Hearing its distinctive cries for too long induces a headache."

Davin took out two Poke balls and threw them. "Halo and Ira, I'll leave it to you!" The butterfly and the newly acquired fish Pokemon appeared in a flash of light.

"Ninjask, use Fury Swipes on Beautifly! Hariyama, Arm Thrust on Carvanha!" Ninjask's arms glowed white and it flew at its target while Hariyama came at its foe with its hands out.

"Halo, use Gust on Hariyama! Ira, use Take Down on Ninjask!" The strong wind stopped Hariyama in its tracks and Ira jumped and tackled Ninjask with force.

"Now, Ira, use Screech!" A loud, high pitched scream came out of the Carvanha's mouth, making the enemies cover their ears. "Halo, Aerial Ace on Hariyama!" She hit her mark on the Arm Thrust Pokemon as it fell on its back.

"Ninjask, Swords Dance! Hariyama, Bulk Up!" The Bug-type's arms glowed purple and it started to cross them in a dance; Hariyama simultaneously increased its attack and defense by tightening its muscles while a crimson aura engulfed it.

"Use Gust!" Halo did her special Flying-type move, but Ninjask vanished in the blink of an eye before it hit. "Wha-?" Davin was cut off when Ninjask appeared behind Halo.

"Fury Cutter!" Its arms glowed red and it slashed Halo from behind. With its quick speed, it kept striking her continuously, the red glow growing longer with each hit.

"Ira, stop it with Take Down!"

"Hariyama, Focus Blast!" A blue sphere formed between its hands and was thrown, making contact with Ira and causing super effective damage.

With Ninjask dealing its fifth Fury Cutter in a row, Halo collapsed to the ground, knocked out.

Davin returned it, feeling a bit angry. "_This is bad. Not only is it two against one now, but with the combination of Hariyama's power and Ninjask's speed, it's impossible to win!_"

"All right! Both of you attack at once! Hariyama, Close Combat! Ninjask, X-Scissor!" Ninjask's arms glowed light blue, it crossed them in an X, and came forward while Hariyama ran at the foe, ready to deal consecutive hits to it.

Davin gasped. "_Wait a sec. That's it! _Ira, use Endure!" It shut its eyes tightly as the blows landed. Despite the super effective damage, it still hadn't fainted. "Perfect! Now, use Aqua Jet on Ninjask!" It's body became surrounded by water and it delivered a straight shot to Ninjask.

"Take Down!"

"Focus Blast, Hariyama!" Ira did a flip to dodge it and it hit Ninjask again, this time resulting in a knockout.

"Yes! One down!" Davin said while Landon returned Ninjask.

"It's not over yet! Hariyama, Arm Thrust!"

"Endure, then Aqua Jet!" Hariyama thrust its palms on to Ira, but it had no effect; Ira countered with another water-engulfed slam to Hariyama's body.

"Now, end this! Take Down to your fullest power!" Another successful hit struck Hariyama and the large Fighting-type fell unconscious.

"Victory!" The boy shouted as he pumped his fist into the air. He went over and picked up his Carvanha. "You were great, Ira! See what you can do when you work with your friends?"

"Carva, Carva!" It smiled.

Landon returned Hariyama and came up to Davin. "Good battle. Both your Carvanha and Beautifly were great."

"Same with your Hariyama and Ninjask. You had me worried for a second."

With that, the two trainers said good bye, Davin sent Ira back to its ball, and turned towards the exit. "Now... we go to Lavaridge!"


	20. Chapter 20 - Vs Flannery

Healing his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, Davin entered the Lavaridge Gym. From the outside, it looked like a bathhouse while on the inside was a battlefield with, to Davin's surprise, no roof due to the field being in the far back of the building.

"Wow..." Davin whispered to himself.

As expected, there was a person waiting at the end of the field: A girl with red hair in the shape of a bow, in a black mini t-shirt with a flame on it and jeans. "I've been expecting you." She said. "Your name's Davin, right?"

He blinked once in surprise. "Y-Yeah. How did you know?"

"A girl named Maura stopped by here and told me that a boy wearing a red and white shirt with blue pants was going to be my next challenger before she headed to Fallarbor Town." She explained.

Davin shook his head. "That Maura... Well, she was right. I challenge you!"

She nodded. "Very well. My name's Flannery." She called for the judge of the battle, who explained that it would be 4-on-4 and that only Davin may substitute.

"Begin!"

"Okay, Numel, let's go!" Flannery threw her first Poke ball and a camel with one hump materialized on to the field.

"So that's a Numel..." Davin took out his Pokedex.

"Numel, the Numb Pokemon. Numel store boiling magma in the hump on their backs. It is a hardy Pokémon that can transport a 220-pound load."

Davin shook his head. "This _is_ a Fire-type gym after all. I assumed the gym leader would use the town's name as a trick and use different kinds of Pokemon." He sighed. "Shows what I know."

He threw his Poke ball. "Go, Ira!" The piranha appeared on the field, glaring at its foe.

Flannery made a smug smile. "Just to let you know, I've trained my Fire types to deal with Water Pokemon, so you better have a good strategy."

"I knew you would say that. Ira, use Aqua Jet!" It jumped into the air and shot itself towards Numel.

"Numel, Take Down!" The two collided with none of them undamaged.

"Use Sunny Day!" A white orb formed in Numel's mouth and it shot into the sky, causing the sun's light to become brighter. "Now, Overheat!" Its body drastically turned dark red and it unleashed a powerful orange-yellow fire with an orange flame spiraling around it.

"Endure!" Ira braced itself and was hit by the powerful flames; though it had heavy burn marks on its body, it was still ready to fight. "All right! Screech!" Numel flinched as it heard Ira's high pitched scream.

"Numel, use Magnitude to stop it!" Though it was struggling, with a single stomp of its foot, an earthquake moved the field as shock waves hit Ira from the ground.

"Overheat, now!" The straight, blazing fire hit its mark again and Ira fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Carvanha is unable to battle! Numel wins!"

Davin recalled Ira and looked at its ball. "Sorry, Ira. Guess I got a little too hasty."

He threw his second Poke ball to reveal his Marshtomp. "Ros, use Water Gun!"

"Numel, Overheat!" Both attacks exploded upon contact, creating smoke. Through the smoke, Numel came charging and smashed into Ros.

Davin grinned. "Not bad. You knew that Overheat clashing with Water Gun would cause explosion smoke to cover the field, so you used it to your advantage, right?"

Flannery smiled smugly. "Naturally."

"Well, get a load of this! Mud Shot!" A blast of mud escaped Ros's mouth and it splattered all over the Fire/Ground type. "Now's your chance! Tackle!" Ros slammed his body against Numel, resulting in the latter sliding across the field and fainting upon falling over.

"Numel is unable to battle! Marshtomp wins!"

Flannery recalled Numel. "Now, Slugma, you're up!" A slug made entirely of magma came out.

"Slugma, the Lava Pokemon." said the Pokedex. "It is a species of Pokémon that lives in volcanic areas. If its body cools, its skin hardens and immobilizes it, which it avoids by sleeping near magma."

"Water Gun, go!"

"Slugma, use Light Screen!" Its eyes glowed yellow and a golden box appeared around it, protecting it from Water Gun. "Use Smog!" A thick, gray smoke was released from its mouth, blinding Davin and Ros from seeing anything.

"_Great. Now what's she up to?_" He thought. The answer came as a powerful fire that shot out of the smoke and hit Ros directly. He grunted. "Should've guessed."

"Slugma, use Overheat again!"

"No way! Ros, jump and use Tackle!" It got out of the way and did a headbutt to Slugma's head.

"Use Water Gun!" The golden box from before appeared and blocked the attack again.

"Shoot! I forgot about Light Screen." He held up a Poke ball. "Ros, return!" As soon as it got back in its ball, Davin sent out his Slakoth. "Luck, use Brick Break to destroy Slugma's Light Screen!" It jumped forward and when it striked, the golden box shattered into pieces while hitting Slugma in the process. "Now, finish with a Scratch attack!" A single swipe across the face made Slugma fall back and faint.

"Slugma is unable to battle! Slakoth wins!"

"Thanks, Luck, for getting rid of that Light Screen." He returned the sloth to its ball. Flannery did the same with Slugma and she took out her third ball.

"You're good, Davin, I'll give you that. But are you good to handle _this_?" She tossed the ball, releasing another camel, the difference being it was orange with two volcano-like humps on its back. It blew smoke out of its nostrils, ready to fight.

Davin looked it up.

"Camerupt, the Eruption Pokemon. Camerupt is the evolved form of Numel. It's body courses with 18,000 degree magma. When enraged, the magma erupts from the volcanoes on its back."

"Seems strong..." He sent out Ros again. "But that's going to stop me! Ros, use Water Gun!"

Flannery smirked. "Attract!" Camerupt winked at Ros as hearts flew at him. Upon contact, Ros began to sway back and forth with hearts in its eyes.

"Oh, great!" Davin smacked his forehead.

"Use Tackle!" It charged towards the lovestruck mud fish and knocked him into the wall; he got up, but was still dazed.

"Pull yourself together, Ros! Try to use Mud Shot!" Surprisingly, it did what it was told and hit Camerupt square in the face.

"Camerupt, Overheat!" Ros was scorched by the fire, but it was still okay, not counting its Attract condition.

Davin sighed. "This is hopeless. Return, Ros!" He substitued, yet again, for Luck. "Use Yawn!" It lazily opened its mouth to let out the bubble and Camerupt fell asleep when it popped in her face. "That's better." He called back Luck and sent Ros back out, who recovered from Attract.

"Water Gun!" The spray of water hit, pushing Camerupt back a little. "Mud Shot!" The stream of mud blasted her in the face. "Tackle!" Ramming his body into her caused the Fire/Ground type to faint.

"Camerupt is unable to battle! Marshtomp wins!"

Flannery returned Camerupt. "Heh. Don't get confident yet. As you know, my last one is my strongest."

"It doesn't matter how much power it has, we'll stomp all over it!" Davin countered.

She smirked. "Torkoal, let's go!" Upon the ball opening, a reddish-brown turtle with a black shell appeared.

"Torkoal, the Coal Pokemon. It battles using energy it gets from burning coal. When loosing smoke from its nostrils, it lets off a sound that is similar to a locomotive's horn."

" 'kay, Torkoal. You ready?" Flannery asked.

"Tor-koal!" It shot smoke from its nostrils, making the locomotive horn noise the Pokedex mentioned.

"Let's get 'em, Ros! Water Gun!"

"Use Attract!" Hearts flew at Ros and it was lovestruck once more.

"Not again!" Davin groaned. "Ros, retu-"

"Body Slam!" Flannery cutted him off. The turtle jumped in the air and slammed her body on top of Ros, leaving him unconscious.

"Marshtomp is unable to battle! Torkoal wins!"

Davin grunted. "Return, Ros." The Water type disappeared inside its ball. "Time for plan B. Let's go, Ferro!" The Aron stood firm, ready to battle. "_I know Ferro's a Steel type, but its also a Rock type, meaning that Torkoal's Fire attacks won't be super effective. If I could just make this right, I can win this._"

"Torkoal, use Overheat!" The unleashed orange-yellow fire with an orange flame spiraling around it headed towards its target.

"That's really getting old! Use Dig!" It burrowed underground, the Overheat passing over the hole.

"Like that's going to work! Torkoal, use Body Slam on the ground!" She did as told and impacted the surface, sending a shock wave through the ground that brought Ferro up by force. Davin gasped as Flannery called out another Overheat and the Iron Armor Pokemon fell to its defeat.

"Aron is unable to battle! Torkoal wins!"

Flannery chuckled. "What's wrong? I thought you said you were going to stomp all over Torkoal. Guess you can't back up what you say, can you?"

"I can so! Your attacks just caught me off guard, that's all." He protested.

"Whatever." She scoffed.

Davin stared at his final Poke ball. "_Luck... I'm counting on you. It was tough to get this far in the battle, so please don't make me have to challenge her again._ Come on!" His Slakoth appeared, having nothing but a calm expression.

"Your Slakoth may have helped you before, but this is where it ends! Torkoal, use Sunny Day!" A white orb formed in its mouth.

"Here's an opening! Use Brick Break!" Luck ran to her, but the turtle had already launched its move into the sun and blocked the oncoming attack by turning around so that it would hit her shell.

"Body Slam!" She crushed the sloth underneath her body. Luck struggled, but couldn't break free. "Now, Overheat!" The fire attack knocked Luck back to its side of the field; it immediately stood up.

"Overheat gets weaker everytime you use it and you've used it three times already, so its not as strong as it was during the first time." Davin noted to her. "Luck, use Yawn!"

"Hide in your shell!" She tucked her head and legs inside and when the bubble popped, she was still fine, proving it when she untucked herself. "Go in for Body Slam!"

"Brick Break!" He jumped into the air to try and get a hit, but Torkoal was faster and sent it into the ground.

"Overheat!" The once big fire was now four times shorter than before, but it still scorched Luck's body, leaving burn marks.

This battle was irritating Davin. "Come on, Luck! Get it together! I know you can win this!" He tried to encourage.

"Slak... Slakoth..." It struggled to get up.

"This ends now! Torkoal, Overheat!" A fire sphere shot out and blew Luck backwards a little.

"LUCK!" Davin shouted in worry.

Luck moved a bit and tried to stand from the ground; it grunted, trying to ignore the pain. Eventually, it managed to stand on its legs.

"Slak... SlakOOOOOOOOth!" Its entire body glowed pure white.

"What's happening?" Flannery gasped.

"It's evolving!" Davin shouted in joy.

Luck grew bigger and bigger until the glow faded to reveal a familiar white monkey.

"VIGOROOOOOOOOTH!" He shouted in his new, deep voice with his arms in the air.

"IT'S VIGOROTH!" Davin cheered as he took out his Pokedex.

"Vigoroth, the Wild Monkey Pokemon. Vigoroth is the evolved form of Slakoth. It's always itching and agitated to go on a wild rampage. Its stress level rises if it can't constantly keep moving; too much stress will make it feel sick."

"Cool! Luck, you ready?" The boy asked.

He turned to his trainer and nodded. "Roth!"

"All right! Use Uproar!" Luck began stomping and moving his arms around to create sound waves, which hit Torkoal and caused her to grown.

"Now, Fury Swipes!" His claws glowed and it raked Torkoal's face continuously.

"Torkoal, use Attract!

"Dodge and use Focus Punch!" It quickly went in the air as its fist glowed light blue. It landed a blow to Torkoal's whole body, which made her fall on her back and faint.

"Torkoal is unable to battle! Vigoroth wins! The victory goes to Davin, the challenger!"

"YEAH!" Davin jumped in the air. He happily ran over to his new Vigoroth. "Luck, you did it again! I'm so proud of you!" To the trainer's surprise, Luck got him in a headlock and gave him a friendly noogie. "Hey! Cut it out! That hurts!" He laughed.

Flannery came over to them. "You really surprised me. I thought I had you beat, but you proved me wrong." Luck let Davin go as she dug in her pocket and pulled out a badge that was shaped like a wisp of fire. "This Heat Badge belongs to you."

He took it in his hand. "Thank you very much."

His signature win thing: "All right! The Heat Badge is mine!"

"Vig Vigor!" Luck cheered with him.


	21. Chapter 21 - Slick and Slippery

Davin quickly ran through the grass of Route 113.

"Oh, man! I hope she's still there."

After getting the Heat Badge, he decided to go to Fallarbor Town to see how Maura was doing.

Eventually, he got to the contest hall, only to find out that the contest was already over.

He hung his head. "That's just great. What was I thinking? I should've skipped the gym battle and came here to cheer her on."

Just then, something on the wall at the far back caught Davin's eye. "What's that?" He went to get a closer look and gasped in happiness. There was a photo of Maura holding the Fallarbor ribbon in her hand with her Blaziken beside her. "She won! I can't believe it!"

He smiled. "_Congrats, Maura. You're well on your way to reaching your goal._" His smile lessened. "_Guess you didn't need me to cheer you on after all._"

* * *

When he exited the contest hall, instead of going back where he came, he headed west to Route 114.

"Since Luck evolved into Vigoroth, I want to go back to Petalburg and challenge Norman again!" He took out his Pokegear. "Now, according to the map, there's a place called Meteor Falls at the mountain side of the area; going through there will take me to Rustboro, where I can go through Petalburg Woods and Route 104 to reach Petalburg City!" He nodded. "It's decided. No time to waste!"

Davin ran across a bridge to get to the second part of the route, which consisted of grass and the mountain area he was looking for. "There it is. Time to-" When he took one step forward, he was cut off by a hissing noise. "What was that?" He heard the noise again, shifting his eyes from left to right and standing completely still. "Where is that noise coming from? And who or what's making it?"

Unknown to his knowledge, something big and tall was right behind him. It wasn't until the creature lunged at him that he turned around and jumped out of the way.

"So that noise was you." He said as he looked at the creature; it was a black snake with purple and yellow markings that had long fangs sticking out of its mouth. The trainer quickly opened his Pokedex.

"Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokemon. It sharpens its sword-like tail on hard rocks and it hides in tall grass to strike unwary prey with its venomous fangs."

"Sevi-per..." It hissed.

"What's with you? Why did you attack me like that?" He questioned it. It gave no answer and just lunged at him again, which he dodged. "I guess you're just looking to cause trouble, huh?"

The Pokemon just slithered its tongue with a sharp gaze. "Sevi..."

Davin took out a Poke ball. "Well, if it's a fight you want, you got it! Luck, I choose you!"

The newly-evolved Vigoroth appeared, pumping its arms wildly.

"Luck, use Fury Swipes!" Its claws glowed and it went in for a hit, but Seviper dodged by moving its long body to the side; Seviper's tail glowed purple and it slammed it against Luck's body.

"Are you okay?" Davin asked, noticing it was holding its chest in pain.

"Vigoroth!" He waved his free hand to tell him 'Don't worry'.

"All right. Focus Punch!" It came at the snake again, but Seviper breathed fire from its mouth that burned Luck's body intensely.

"It knows Flamethrower?! Awesome!" Davin noticed Luck's condition and held up its ball. "Good, Luck. Return!" He disappeared inside and Davin sent out his Aron.

"Ferro, Metal Claw!" Its front claw glowed and it swiped Seviper across its face. Seviper became angry and it licked Ferro, causing the Aron to have a sickly expression and stumble back.

"Ferro, use Headbutt!" The Pokemon couldn't move its body due to the previous attack, giving Seviper an opening to use Flamethrower on it.

"Return!" Ferro disappeared inside its ball. "Go, Ira!" The piranha Pokemon came out with a ready expression.

"Screech!" As expected, Seviper flinched at the ear-splitting scream and Davin commanded an Aqua Jet, which hit its mark. Seviper responded by releasing a thick fog from its mouth, blinding its enemies' vision.

"Ira, be on your guard!" It tried to find it, but Seviper pulled a sneak attack and struck with Poison Tail, the force being so powerful that it knocked Ira into Davin; Ira shook in his arms, showing that it was poisoned.

He returned Ira and he noticed the Seviper snickering. "Oh, you think that's funny? Well, laugh at this!" He threw out his remaining two Pokemon: Ros and Halo. "If you think you're so tough, let's see how you do when it's two against one! Ros, use Mud Shot! Halo, use Gust!"

Their respective attacks were fired, but a glint appeared in Seviper's eye and it swiftly slithered to the side. Davin gasped as Seviper's tail glowed and it hit both Pokemon at the same time.

"Ros! Halo!" Davin shouted. Both Pokemon had a purple blush on their faces, signifying they were poisoned.

"Return!" Both Pokemon were absorbed by the red light.

Davin stared at the Seviper, the snake looking at him as if it were prepared to strike him.

"Eh heh heh..." he chuckled nervously. "No hard feelings, right?"

"SevIIIIIIIIII!" It lunged at the boy, causing him to scream and run back the way he came; Seviper was close behind.

"Why are you so angry? You're the one who started it!" He said as he ran, not noticing a rock in front of him and tripping over it, falling flat on his face. He turned around and saw Seviper towering over him, a slight smirk on its mouth. "Oh, come on! Can't we work something out?"

"VIPEEEERRRRR!" It lunged, mouth wide open, making Davin scream loudly.

"Bayleef, Giga Drain!" Out of nowhere, a green energy-vine constricted Seviper and drained its energy. Davin was surprised and looked to see it was a blonde haired boy who called the attack.

"Haro!" Davin said. Seviper shook itself off and came at its new enemies.

"Solar Beam!" The leaves around Bayleef's neck glowed and a white beam was launched from its mouth, hitting Seviper and knocking it out.

"Let's go! Poke ball!" Haro threw the ball and it hit Seviper, absorbing it inside. The ball shook back and forth four times before stopping abruptly.

"Phew!" Davin stood up. "That was a close one. Thanks, Haro."

The blonde picked up the Poke ball and turned to the boy. "Oh... you're here too?"

"What?! How could you not notice me? I was right in front of that thing!" He protested.

Haro scoffed. "I was just passing by when I saw that Seviper. Good thing 'cause I was just looking for a Poison-type to catch."

"Why's that?" Davin asked.

Haro put Seviper's ball away. "You haven't changed at all." He started walking away. "Come on, Bayleef."

"Bay!" It obediently followed him towards Route 113.

Davin glared after them. "That guy..."


	22. Chapter 22 - Fly To Your Dreams

Davin waited at the Fallarbor Pokemon Center for his Pokemon to heal. Seviper had poisoned most of his team and he was really worried about them.

"I hope everything's okay." He said as he looked at the doors to the treating room.

At that moment, he couldn't help but think, "_I don't believe that Seviper was that strong, but it nearly took out all of my Pokemon. If things keep going like this, we'll never get stronger._" He closed his eyes. "_Would it be right if I..._" His thoughts were interrupted when Nurse Joy called him over.

"I'm happy to say that your Pokemon are feeling much better, but do be careful from now on." she said.

"I will." He took his Poke balls from her. "Thank you."

* * *

Later, he quickly went past the grass area of Route 114, hoping to not encounter anymore Seviper, and made it to the entrance of Meteor Falls. "I'm finally here." He said as he entered the cave.

"Whooooooa!" He shouted as he gazed at the huge waterfall inside. "This place is amazing!" He walked across a bridge to get better look. "I've never seen a waterfall inside a cave before. This is cool!"

"Baaaay!" Davin heard. He looked up to the top of the waterfall and gasped. A small blue Pokemon with thick, gray ridges going from the top of its head to its back was standing on a rock that was atop the waterfall. Davin took out his Pokedex.

"Bagon, the Rock Head Pokemon. Although it is small, this Pokémon is very powerful because its body is a bundle of muscles. It launches head-butts with its iron-like skull."

The Bagon spread its arms apart and it jumped down from the waterfall.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Davin quickly jumped from the bridge and held his arms out to catch it. While he succeeded in doing so, they both fell into the water below.

The boy swam to the edge of one of the cave floors and set the Bagon on it. "Don't worry. You're safe now."

The Bagon bashed its head against his, knocking him back into the water. When he pulled himself up to the edge, he shouted, "What was that for?!"

"Bay! Bay, Bagon!" It shouted angrily.

"I saved your life! You shouldn't treat me that way!"

Bagon shook its head. "Bay, Bay." It jumped into the air a couple of times and flapped its arms as if they were wings.

Davin blinked. "You mean... you were trying to fly?"

It nodded. "Bay."

"But you don't have wings. It's impossible for you to fly." That earned him another Headbutt to his head. "Well, it's true."

"Bay! Bay Bay Bay Bay Bagon!" It shouted, jumping up and down in anger.

"Maybe the Pokedex can tell me what's going on." He opened it up.

"Bagon have desires to one day fly through the air. It constantly jumps off high places in hopes of achieving that goal. When it fails, it tends to smash its head against boulders in frustration."

"So _that's_ it. But why do you dream of something that won't be possible? It's not like you can grow wings." Bagon suddenly jumped on to Davin's knees and started to press buttons on his Pokedex. "Hey! What do you think-"

"Bay!" It pointed to the screen, showing a blue dragon with red wings.

"Salamence, the Dragon Pokemon. Salamence is the final evolved form of Bagon. By evolving into Salamence, this Pokémon finally realizes its long-held dream of growing wings. To express its joy, it flies and wheels all over the sky while spouting flames from its mouth."

"Ooooh. So you _are_ able to fly." Davin realized. "But if you have to evolve in order to gain wings, why don't you just work to get stronger instead of jumping off high places? Are you just impatient?"

"Bay." It nodded.

Davin stared at it for a moment, then petted its head. "You know... you kind of remind me of myself a little. I have a dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, but I have to train and work hard in order to make it reality. Though our dreams are different, they focus on reaching for something we want."

"Bay?" It tilted its head, curiously.

Davin got an idea. "Bagon, why don't you come along with me and my Pokemon on our journey? If you and I work hard enough, I can promise you that you'll become a Salamence and you can fly to your heart's content." he held out his hand. "What do you say? It's better than going at it alone, at least."

Bagon looked at the boy in thought, thinking if it should go or not. Eventually, it placed its hand in his and nodded. "Bagon!"

Davin smiled. "Cool." He took out a Poke ball and tapped its head against it, activating the ball and sucking it inside. The ball's red light blinked as he held it in his hand, where it stopped at three beeps. "All right, Soar. From now on, we'll make our dreams come true together!"

He later found the exit of the cave and found himself at Route 115, north of Rustboro City. "Okay! Time to head forth to victory!"


	23. Chapter 23 - Vs Norman II

"Okay, guys! Time to eat!" Davin announced. He laid out the bowls of Pokemon food to his six Pokemon and they happily ate as Davin sat in one of the table booths at the Pokemon Center. He was in Petalburg City—having gone through Rustboro and the Petalburg Woods—and he was ready to challenge Norman to a _real_ gym battle.

He stared out the window as he began thinking. "_Okay. Since Norman used a Vigoroth last time, that means he must be a Normal-type user. The battle will probably be 4-on-4, so I'd better plan on who I'll use._" He turned to his Pokemon. "_No doubt I'm using Luck to compare his power to Norman's Vigoroth, not to mention his Focus Punch will be super effective. Ros is pretty good at holding his own against any type of Pokemon, so he's in. Halo's Flying-type characteristics will make it easy for her to dodge attacks, and Ira's Screech and Aqua Jet combo could prove useful._" he nodded. "_That's how it'll be._"

After his Pokemon had finished their meal, he went to the Petalburg Gym. He quickly opened the doors and shouted, "Norman! Guess who's back?"

To his surprise, Norman was standing at the far end of the battlefield with his arms folded. "Welcome back, Davin. Are you ready?"

"Totally! I've gotten a lot stronger since we last battled and I plan on taking you down and winning my fifth badge!" He went to his side of the field, first Poke ball in hand.

Norman grinned. "We'll just see about that."

The judge for the battle came to the side of the field. "The battle between the Gym Leader, Norman, and the challenger, Davin will now begin! Each trainer will use four Pokemon and only the challenger may substitute!" He crossed his flags. "Begin!"

Norman threw his first ball. "Spinda, let's go!" A Pokemon with long ears and swirl marks for eyes appeared on to the field. Finding the Pokemon a bit odd, Davin looked it up.

"Spinda, the Spot Panda Pokemon. It is distinguished by a pattern of spots that is always different on each Spinda. Its unsteady, tottering walk has the effect of fouling its foe's aim."

"Really? I'd better be careful." He threw the Poke ball in his hand. "Let's go, Halo!" The Beautifly appeared elegantly in a flash of white light.

"Ah, so your Wurmple has become a Beautifly. How nice." Norman commented. "All right, Spinda! Psybeam!" Its swirly eyes glowed light blue and multicolored beams shot out from them.

"Dodge it, Halo!" It flew higher to evade it. "Now, Aerial Ace!" It swooped down towards Spinda, but the spotted Pokemon oddly spun to its left to dodge.

Davin gasped as Norman called out, "Teeter Dance!" At that, Spinda's body became outlined in blue and it began dancing. To the boy's surprise, Halo's body was outlined in blue as well and _it _started to dance along with Spinda.

"Use Facade!" Spinda's body glowed with an orange aura and it tackled Halo, knocking it to the ground.

"Get up, Halo, and use Stun Spore!"

"Psybeam, go!" Spinda unleashed another Psychic move and knocked Halo unconscious.

"Beautifly is unable to battle! Spinda wins!"

Slightly worried, Davin recalled his butterfly Pokemon. "_Talk about unexpected. I didn't think Halo would lose against it, but I guess I was wrong._"

His next Poke ball was thrown. "Ira, you're next!" The piranha Pokemon entered the battle. "Since Carvanha are part Dark, Psybeam won't have any effect against it, meaning we only have to worry about Facade and Teeter Dance."

"Spinda, use Facade!" As expected, it came charging with energy around its body.

"Ira, use Aqua Jet!" The Carvanha coated itself in water and knocked Spinda into the air. "Follow that with Take Down!"

"Teeter Dance, now!" The same thing that happened to Halo was happening to Ira as it danced in mid-attack. "Facade!" Spinda pounded Ira into the ground with full force.

"Keep going, Ira! Screech!" Spinda pulled its ears down to block out the noise. "Take Down!" The spotted panda suffered another blow, causing it to become Norman's first Pokemon out.

"Spinda is unable to battle! Carvanha wins!"

"Great job, Ira!" Davin cheered.

"Carva!" It thanked him.

Norman returned Spinda. "You certainly have improved since our last battle." His second Poke ball was taken out. "Now, say hello to an old friend!"  
The ball opened and Norman's Vigoroth bellowed out its battle cry.

Davin waved at it. "Hey, Vigoroth! Remember me? It's Davin!"

"Vigor, Vigoroth!" It waved back, smiling.

Norman chuckled. "I didn't literally mean say hello."

"I know." Davin said as he recalled Ira. He took out a new Poke ball. "I only wanted to say hi because _it's_ the reason why I have this guy!" The ball flashed open and Luck came on to the field, bellowing his own battle cry. "Norman, meet Luck. After our last battle, I caught him at the Petalburg Woods as a Slakoth and raised him to see if I could raise a powerful Vigoroth like yours."

"Hmm, interesting..." He said, noting how bigger his Vigoroth was compared to Davin's. "Well, there's only way to see how strong it is. Vigoroth, Slash attack!" Vigoroth came at high speed with its claws at the ready to strike.

"Luck, use Focus Punch!" He pulled back his fist to strike, but Vigoroth proved to be too quick and slashed his body with its claws. "No way!"

"Looks like your Vigoroth lacks in speed compared to mine. Faint Attack!" Vigoroth vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Be careful, Luck! There's no telling where it'll pop out!" Luck shifted his eyes around the field, but was immediately greeted by Vigoroth with a punch from behind.

"Vigoroth, Facade!"

"Not happening! Luck, Focus Punch!" Both Vigoroth ran at each other; Norman's struck first due to speed advantage, but Luck jumped and hit it in the face with his fist.

"Now use Slack Off!" Before Vigoroth got up, Luck yawned to restore his energy.

Norman smirked. "Vigoroth, use Encore!" A shiny white orb formed in its hands and it threw it at Luck, causing his body to sparkle white.

"Like that did anything! Luck, Focus Punch!" But Davin's Vigoroth just yawned again.

Norman chuckled. "It's useless. When the opponent is hit with Encore, it can only use the move that was used last before it was affected by it. However, the effect wears off after a certain amount of time."

"That's not good." Davin said, worried.

"Vigoroth, use Slash!" It came at him and its claws raked his face.

Davin reacted quickly. "Return!" The Poke ball absorbed Luck and brought it back.

"Ira, come back out!" The Water/Dark type made another appearance. "Aqua Jet!" It slammed into Vigoroth's body, engulfed in water.

"Faint Attack!" It disappeared once more.

"Big mistake, Norman! Ira, use Screech!" The high-pitched wail was let out, causing Vigoroth to appear out of hiding and cover its ears.

"What?" Norman shouted.

"Take Down!" The Carvanha put all of its energy into its body and hit Vigoroth so hard that it hit the ceiling.

"Aqua Jet, one more time!" Water surrounded its body and just when Vigoroth was about to hit the ground, it charged into it, knocking it into the wall behind Norman. Vigoroth slid to the ground, unconscious.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Carvanha wins!"

Davin wore a smug grin. "How was that?"

Norman returned Vigoroth. "I've seen better, but not bad."

He sent out his next Pokemon, which was a Linoone. "Headbutt!" The Pokemon went running at the call.

"Use Take Down!" Ira overpowered Linoone and sent it flying backwards.

"Linoone, use Belly Drum!" It stood on its hind legs and began tapping its abdomen with its paws to increase its attack power and lower its health at the same time.

"Ira, Aqua Jet!" It rocketed itself towards the foe.

"Facade!" Linoone ran forward, having its strength increased.

Davin smirked. "Go around and hit it!"

Ira quickly passed Linoone from the Normal-type Pokemon's left and it swung around, striking it from behind. Due to its health being cut in half and Aqua Jet's power, Linoone fell into unconsciousness.

"Linoone is unable to battle! Carvanha wins!"

When Norman called back Linoone, Davin said, "Okay. With me going to different gyms, I know that your last Pokemon is your strongest, so go ahead and bring it on!"

Norman grinned. "As you wish!" He threw his last Poke ball and a big, brown-furred gorilla Pokemon was released. It pounded its chest, ready for battle.

"Whoa! What is that?" Davin said as he took out his Pokedex.

"Slaking, the Lazy Pokemon. Slaking is the evolved form of Vigoroth. Slaking spends all day lying down and lolling about. It eats grass growing within its reach, and if it eats it all, it reluctantly moves to another spot."

"This is Vigoroth's evolved form?" Davin said. "From what the Pokedex says, it sounds so lazy, it can't even put up a good fight."

"Don't be fooled." Norman warned. "It's true that Slaking can be lazy, but they're actually powerful Pokemon."

"I see..." Davin recalled Ira and tossed another ball. "Luck, let's go!" The sparks that had shined on its body were gone, indicating Encore was no longer in effect. "Luck, your opponent is what you're going to evolve into one day, so be sure to stay clear of its attacks."

"Vigor." It nodded.

"All right, Slaking, use Yawn!" It opened its mouth wide to release a large bubble.

"Dodge and use Focus Punch!" Luck jumped and aimed its fist at the large Pokemon.

"Use Counter!" Slaking's body glowed red; as soon as Luck landed a hit, it was knocked back with an invisible force, causing an instant knockout.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Slaking wins!"

"What?! But how?" Davin gasped.

"Counter is a move that sends back twice the damage of a physical move to the opponent," Norman explained. "Since Focus Punch is a high powered physical attack, it resulted in high powered damage for Vigoroth."

"Wow. Sounds dangerous..." He said as he called back Luck. "All right, Ira, you're back on!" The Carvanha was called out for the third time. "Use Screech!" The high-pitched scream was released, but Slaking just stood there as if it were nothing. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Being a lazy Pokemon does have its advantages." Norman stated. "Slaking, use Facade!" It threw its large body at Ira so hard, it knocked it into the wall behind Davin, knocking it out.

"Carvanha is unable to battle! Slaking wins!"

Davin recalled Ira. "Good job. Take a nice long rest."

He threw his last Poke ball. "Ros, I choose you!" The Mud Fish Pokemon made its appearance on the field. "Ros, it all depends on you. Don't let me down!"

"Slaking, Yawn!" The bubble was released and Ros fell asleep after it popped in his face.

"Good thing I planned ahead." He smirked. "Ros, use Sleep Talk!"

Though his eyes were shut, Ros fired a blast of water at Slaking, making it fall to the ground.

"It knows Sleep Talk?!" Norman said, shocked.

Davin laughed to himself. "_Back in Rustboro, I figured I should come up with a new strategy for this gym. So I decided to teach Ros the move Sleep Talk so that it could still attack when it used Rest. But since Slaking knows Yawn, it makes it easier._"

"Slaking, use Faint Attack!" Just like its predecessor, it disappeared and landed a punch from behind Ros.

"Sleep Talk!" This time, Ros shot out a stream of mud from its mouth at Slaking.

"Use Facade!" Slaking jumped and attempted to hit Ros from above, but Davin called for another Sleep Talk and Mud Shot caught it off guard, causing the gorilla to fall flat on its face.

Right then, Ros had woken up. "Cool! Ros, Water Gun!"

"Dodge and use Faint Attack!" Slaking did just that, but Davin was wise to Norman's plan. "Jump and use Mud Shot from behind!" Ros did as ordered and hit its mark when Slaking appeared.

"Water Gun!" Ros got behind Slaking and pushed it back to Norman's side with its attack.

Norman grunted. "Slaking, Facade!"

"Give it up, Norman! This battle's over!" After Davin said these words, Ros jumped high into the air and slammed down into the ground, causing shock waves to strike Slaking from below, causing huge damage. Davin gasped as Slaking fell on its back, knocked out.

"Slaking is unable to battle! Marshtomp wins! The victory goes to the challenger, Davin!"

"Yeah!" Davin cheered. He ran over and picked up the winner. "Ros, was that Earthquake you just used?"

"Mar Marsh." It smiled and nodded.

"You're just too awesome!" He said as he hugged it.

Norman told Slaking it did a great job before returning it to its Poke ball and walking to the challenger. "Congratulations, Davin. You certainly have grown stronger since we first met." He held in his hand a badge that resembled a barbell. "As a result, I give you this Balance Badge as proof of your victory here at the Petalburg Gym."

"Thank you, Norman." Davin took it gradually. "I promise I'll become the strongest trainer there is!"

Norman chuckled. "You do that."

Davin held the badge in his right hand with Ros in his left arm. "The Balance Badge is finally mine!"


	24. Chapter 24 - A Fly-by Rage

"So Fortree City is just across this water…" Davin said, standing on the beach of Route 118.

After getting the Balance Badge, Davin looked at his Pokegear to find out that Fortree City was where the next gym was. Following the map, he headed back to Rustboro City, went to Route 116 and traveled through the Rusturf Tunnel, where he had to use some of his Pokemon to destroy rocks that were in his way. Then he went through Verdanturf Town, Route 117 and Mauville City to get to where he is now.

Davin called out his Carvanha. "Ira, can you take me across the water?" he asked nicely.

"Carva." It nodded. It hopped into the water and Davin held on to its back as it swam through the small river.

Once across, Davin got on to the shore and returned Ira, heading north to Route 119.

"Man, there's a lot of grass here." The boy commented as he walked through his, probably, seventh field of tall grass. "I hope I get to Fortree soon." When he got out of the grass, he saw a big building near a waterfall bridge; he walked over to the sign that read 'Weather Institute' and turned to the bridge.

"Almost there. Just a few more steps..." Davin walked across the bridge and was about to head north when a voice said,

"Hey!" Davin turned around to see Haro riding on his Acro Bike and stopping when he got to him.

"Hey, Haro. What's up?" Davin greeted.

"Save it! I challenge you to a battle!" Haro parked his bike near a tree.

"Well, that's a first. Usually, I'm the one who challenges you when we meet. What's the deal?" Davin asked.

Haro took out a Poke ball. "Let's just say something came up and I need to take my anger out on something. And what better person to do that to than you, Varex trash?"

Davin glared at him. "Fine, I accept. What are the rules?"

"This time: 3-on-3." He stated. He threw the Poke ball in his hand and a Torkoal was sent out, blowing smoke from its nostrils. "P.S. I want you to use a Water Pokemon!"

Davin looked confused. "Uh… okay. Go, Ira!" His Carvanha appeared on the grassy surface.

"Torkoal, use Flamethrower!" A stream of fire was released from its mouth.

"Ira, use Aqua Jet!" With its body engulfed in water, it penetrated the fire move and hit Torkoal.

"Don't take that! Use Rapid Spin!" It went inside its shell and launched itself at Ira while spinning.

"Endure!" The Water/Dark type was struck, but it seemed okay. "Now, use Take Down!"

"Iron Defense!" Ira went in, but was blocked when Torkoal went inside its shell. "Good! Now, Solar Beam!" The holes on its shell began to glow as it took in sunlight.

"Like we're going to let you do that. Aqua Jet!" Torkoal was sent flying into the air by Ira's move and it fainted when it hit the ground.

Haro grunted and called back his Pokemon and took out another ball. "That was just practice! Now, Baltoy, go!" The Ground/Psychic type appeared in mid-air.

Davin called back Ira. "Soar, let's go!" His Bagon was sent out next.

"Ice Beam!" A small, light blue sphere formed in Baltoy's hands and three beams shot out of it.

"Soar, use Protect!" A green dome shield blocked the ice attack as it appeared around it. "Dragon Claw!" Its hand glowed light blue and slashed Baltoy across its face.

"Go and use Psybeam!"

"Use Crunch!" Soar's teeth glowed white and it chomped on Baltoy, throwing it to the ground and knocking it out.

"NO!" Haro shouted as he called it back. "YOU'LL NEVER BEAT THIS ONE! GO, BAYLEEF!" His Grass Pokemon entered the battle.

Davin looked confused as he returned Soar. "_Something's wrong here. Haro's not being his usual self. Did something happen to him? What is it that he's so mad about?_"

He ignored the thought and sent out Halo. "Aerial Ace!" The Beautifly flew at Bayleef with its move.

"You better not lose, Bayleef! Giga Drain!" It used its move, but Halo spun around it and landed a critical hit, to Davin's surprise, knocking it out in one move.

All Haro did was stare frustratingly at Bayleef's Poke ball and returned it. At that moment, it started to rain.

Davin recalled Halo. "So… looks like I beat you…"

"SHUT UP!" Haro took his Acro Bike and rode back to the path where he came.

Davin looked back at him. "_What's_ _with you, Haro_?"


	25. Chapter 25 - Losing Yourself In Water

*Haro's P.O.V.*

The blonde haired boy rode his bike through the wet grass in anger, thinking about a past event.

"_What's wrong with me?_" He thought. "_First, I lose to __**him**__, and now I lose to that trash of a trainer? How can this be happening?!_" While he thought this, his bike ran over a rock and both it and him fell to the ground with a thud.

Haro laid there, face down and motionless with his arms in front of him. "_Wallace... you stupid jerk!_"

*Flashback to one day earlier*

Haro was in Verdanturf Town, sitting casually at a table in the Pokemon Center and reading a trainer magazine called "Global Battle" In the magazine, he was reading about the Hoenn Elite Four Champion, Wallace, and how he recently set a new battle record.

"_The Champion of the Elite Four... He doesn't seem so tough. If he were walk into this Pokemon Center right now, I'd kick his..._"

A man walking through the door interrupted his thoughts as he looked up. Haro gasped as he recognized the turquoise-haired man with a long, white cape. "That's... that's Wallace!"_  
_  
He saw Wallace speaking with Nurse Joy and saw her handing him a Poke ball.

Haro narrowed his eyes. "_I don't know what he's doing here, but this is practically a once in a lifetime chance. No way I'm passing it up._"

He put down the magazine and walked up to the man. "So you're Wallace, the Champion?"

The man smiled. "Indeed, I am. Who might you be?"

"My name is Haro, and I challenge you to a battle!" He held out one of his Poke balls to show he was serious.

Wallace grinned. "Alright. But I warn you, it won't be easy."

"We'll see..." He glared darkly at him.

The battle took place outside, where a crowd gathered to witness the Champion battle in-person. "So, Haro, why don't we make this a full battle? If you're up for it, that is..."

"Fine with me. I'll show you what _real _power is!" Haro stated.

Wallace simply grinned and threw his first Poke ball. "Whiscash, come out and show your radiance!" The ball opened to reveal a large fish with whiskers.

"The only way to beat a Water type is with a Grass type!" At these words, he released his Bayleef. "Go and use Razor Leaf!" With a swing of its head, leaves were sent out to strike.

"Whiscash, Amnesia." It just stared blankly as it took the Razor Leaf attack.

"Now, use Surf!" A giant wave of water rose under Whiscash as it went to Bayleef.

"Stop it with Giga Drain!" Vine-like energy from its neck-leaves constricted Whiscash and absorbed its energy, canceling Surf in the process.

"Solar Beam!" Bayleef took in sunlight and unleashed the energy from its mouth for it to hit Whiscash and knock it out.

"What power!" Someone commented.

"I say he just got lucky." Another said.

Haro scoffed. "I expected a little more than _that_."

"Don't worry. This battle has only just started." He stated as he threw his next ball. A Pokemon that looked like a huge jellyfish made its appearance. "Tentacruel, use Toxic!" It spewed a blackish-purple acid around Bayleef, which evaporated into gases that poisoned it.

"Bayleef, use Vine Whip!"

"Ice Beam!" Three beams of light-blue color were shot from its tentacles, hitting Bayleef and freezing it solid.

Haro's mouth gaped as Wallace called for Sludge Bomb, which concluded with Tentacruel shooting dark brown globs of sludge that broke the ice and hit Bayleef, knocking it out.

"Told you it was luck." said the same person from before.

Haro ignored that remark and called back his Bayleef. "A _little_ better... but let's see you take down this." He sent out his Rushing Pokemon. "Linoone, use Charge Beam!" Its fur crackled with electric sparks and it unleashed electricity from its body.

"Sludge Bomb!" Both attacks exploded on impact, with Linoone coming out of the smoke and striking with Shadow Claw.

"Charge Beam, once more!" Linoone released its electricity, making Tentacruel faint.

"Tell me you're not being serious." Haro scoffed again. "Is this some kind of strategy or something?"

"Believe what you want, but I assure you, this is how I battle." Wallace said as he returned Tentacruel. "Now, Ludicolo, it's your turn!" The Water/Grass type was sent out with a calm facial expression.

"Linoone, Iron Tail!"

"Ludicolo, Double Team." The Carefree Pokemon split into multiple copies of itself; Linoone hit one of them, but it disappeared on contact.

"Use Charge Beam on all of them!"

"Leech Seed!" All of the fakes vanished and the real Ludicolo released a brown seed from the top of its 'hat'. When the seed was on Linoone, vines sprouted from it and wrapped around the weasel, draining its energy.

"Now, Surf!" The huge wave Ludicolo created crashed down upon Linoone, making it faint.

Haro returned it with no comment and sent out his next Pokemon. "Torkoal, let's go!" The fire tortoise blew smoke from its nostrils upon entry. "_Even though I just caught it at the Fiery Path, it wouldn't hurt to see what it can do._ Flamethrower!"

"Surf." Torkoal's attack was washed out and it had the same fate as Linoone.

"Seviper, you're next!" The snake Pokemon came out after Haro recalled Torkoal.

"Ludicolo, take a rest." Wallace held up its Poke ball and returned it. "Now, Ladies and gentlemen! Prepare to feast your eyes on a magnificent beauty!" He threw another ball and a long, red serpent majestically made its entry.

The crowd cheered. "THERE IT IS! WALLACE'S BEAUTIFUL MILOTIC!"

Haro didn't seem impressed. "It doesn't matter how beautiful it looks. If it's not strong, it's useless!"

Wallace narrowly stared at the boy. "Is that what you think?"

"Of course! Now, Seviper, use Poison Tail!" The snake's tail glowed purple and it lunged at the larger serpent.

"Milotic, Ice Beam!" Seviper was frozen in mid-attack and Wallace called for Surf, where unlike the others, Milotic swung its tail to create the wave. The Fang Snake Pokemon fell to its power.

"You pathetic snake! You didn't even last more than 10 seconds. How am I supposed to win with that kind of effort?" Haro recalled it in disgust.  
Wallace gave him another stare as Haro's Baltoy was called out.

"Rapid Spin!"

"Surf, Milotic!" Yet another Pokemon met its demise by Surf in one hit.

Haro was angry. "SERIOUSLY?! You too?! And to think _you _were the one who got me the Heat Badge..." He recalled it with even more disgust.

"You can't talk to your Pokemon like that!" Wallace shouted. "How can you expect them to put in their best if they know you think about them that way?"

"SHUT UP!" He threw his last Poke ball to reveal a Spoink. "I DON'T NEED TO HEAR THOSE WORDS FROM ANYBODY! NOT EVEN YOU! SPOINK, ZEN HEADBUTT!" The pearl on its head glowed blue as it charged, head-first.

"Meaningless! Milotic, Ice Beam!" The ice attack froze the pearl solid and Wallace called for Surf, which (as guessed) took it out and made Haro the loser.

The boy gritted his teeth. "Stupid..." He muttered under his breath as he returned it.

The crowd cheered at the champion's victory. Some said below the cheering, "That kid's got a problem," and "I knew he wouldn't win," and "He's got a lot to learn."

Wallace recalled Milotic and walked over to Haro. "Haro, I'm very disappointed in you. You show no love to your Pokemon, nor do you show like. If you expect to be a great trainer, you _need_ to change your attitude towards your Pokemon."

That hit Haro's nerve point. "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" He shouted with force. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY POKEMON? YOU DON'T ANYTHING! YOU'RE NO CHAMPION! YOU'RE JUST FRAUD! YOU'RE NOTHING! YOU'RE A..."

He was cut off by a hard slap to his face. Being surprised by this, he fell to the ground.

Wallace glared angrily at him. "You need to control your temper! You let your dark emotions overtake your feelings in battle. If you can't do that and raise your Pokemon in a non-hateful way... YOU WILL _NEVER_ BE STRONG!"

Haro averted his gaze and he felt tears run down his face. "BASTARD!" He got up and pushed past the people as he ran away from the scene.

*End Flashback - Present*

As the memory ran through his head, Haro got back up, pulled his bike from the ground and walked with it.

"_I don't care what he says... I will get stronger... The way I treat my Pokemon doesn't matter as long as they get stronger, right?... I'll prove him wrong...I'll prove them ALL WRONG!"_


	26. Chapter 26 - Airborne Schooling

After the Haro incident, Davin entered the city of Fortree, where he healed his Pokemon at the town's Center and made his way to Route 120. He had decided to train a little first before taking on the gym because he didn't want to lose and have to start over again.

Davin looked all around the grassy route. "Hmm... what should I start out with? I mean, I don't even know what type of Pokemon the gym leader uses."

"You mean Winona?" A voice asked. A guy with light black hair who wore a red jacket over a clear white shirt while holding a bird cage came towards him. "She uses Flying type Pokemon, much like myself."

"Flying types, eh?" Davin pondered with his hand on his chin. "I wonder how I can win?"

"If you want, I'd be happy to help you and teach you how to combat against them." The guy offered.

"Really? That'd be great!" He said. "By the way, my name's Davin."

"I'm Flynt. Nice to meet you."

* * *

A few seconds later, they were ready for training. Flynt stated the rules, "This'll be 3-on-3, okay?"

Davin nodded. "Cool with me."

Flynt threw a Poke ball and a large purplish-dark blue bird came out of it. Davin used his Pokedex.

"Swellow, the Swallow Pokemon. Never missing its targets, Swellow dive down from far above to catch its prey. It occasionally takes to the skies in search of lands with warm climate."

"Ferro, let's go!" Davin's Aron appeared from its Poke ball on to the grass. "Use Metal Claw!"

"Dodge, Swellow!" The bird turned its body to the side to evade Ferro's attack.

"Steel Wing!" Swellow hit its mark on Ferro as it went back around and hit him with its hardened wings.

"As you can see, just going head-on won't help you when you're facing a Flying type." Flynt explained. "You've got to plan your moves and try to predict what your opponent will do next."

"Hmm... I see..." Davin said to himself.

"Swellow, use Secret Power!" It flew towards Ferro with its body covered in a pink aura.

"Ferro, Harden!" The Aron stiffened its body and when the attack landed, Ferro seemed unfazed.

"Now, jump and use Headbutt!" It ran to Swellow's right side and landed a hit with its steel head.

"Not bad." Flynt commented.

"All right, let's try Metal Claw!"

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!" The two ran/flew at each other as they began to charge their attacks. When they were in striking range, they hit each other at once, but Swellow was much stronger and pushed Ferro back with force.

"Don't give up, Ferro. You can win this!" Davin encouraged.

"Aron." It said. Right then, its entire body started to shine a very familiar white.

Flynt was surprised. "Wha-? Could this be an..."

"...Evolution?" Davin finished.

Still glowing, Ferro's body began to grow large in size with some of its features changing as well. Soon, the glowing stopped and a new Ferro stood in place of the previous one.

"Awesome! It's Lairon!" Davin excitedly took out his Pokedex.

"Lairon, the Iron Armor Pokemon. Lairon is the evolved form of Aron. When two of these Pokemon meet, they bash into each other with their steel bodies to claim territory. It is known to feed on iron found in rocks and water."

"OK! Ferro, let's see your new and improved Headbutt!" The Steel/Rock type obeyed and it smashed its head into the swallow with great force.

"Swellow, use Aerial Ace again!" As the purple bird dove into the air for preparation, Ferro's body became surrounded by white circles that transformed into sharp rocks. As soon as Swellow dived down to strike, the Lairon fired the circling stones at it, causing Swellow to lose its focus and fall to the ground.

"That was a great Stone Edge, Ferro! Now, use Iron Head!" The Lairon's head glowed white and Swellow was hit in the center of its body, resulting in it fainting.

"Oh yeah! You did it, Ferro!" Davin cheered.

"Lair, Lair!" It rejoiced.

Flynt returned Swellow. "That was pretty decent, I admit. Though you still have more to learn if you want to beat Winona." He held up his next ball. "Ready for lesson #2?"

"You bet!" Davin nodded.


	27. Chapter 27 - Vs Winona

"Halo, use Aerial Ace!"

"Masquerain, use Aerial Ace as well!"

Both Flying types flew towards each other at high speed and collided with each other. The result was Flynt's Masquerain fainting.

"Good work, Halo. You were great!" Davin said.

"Beautifly." She responded.

Flynt returned his Masquerain. "Great job! After what I've taught you, you should be able to win against Winona."

"Thanks again for training with me, Flynt. See ya!" Davin ran back to Fortree City with his Beautifly right behind him.

* * *

After going to Pokemon Center, Davin arrived at the Fortree City gym. When he went through the doors, he was in a room with a green floor, battlefield in the center, and a bright yellow ceiling.

"Winona, I challenge you to a gym battle!" Davin shouted while taking his place at his respective side of the battlefield.

"I accept!" A woman wearing what looked like a blue and white flight suit with long lavender hair under a helmet came out of the back room and took her place on the field. "May I ask what the challenger's name is?"

"Davin." He said with a smile.

Winona called for the judge as she came to the side of the field. "The battle between the Gym leader, Winona, and the challenger, Davin, will now begin! Both sides will use five Pokemon and only the challenger may substitute his Pokemon." She crossed her flags. "Begin!"

Winona chose first. "Swablu, I choose you!" A small blue bird with wings that resembled clouds appeared from the thrown ball.

"All right, Ferro, you're up first!" Davin threw his Poke ball and the recently evolved Ferro appeared on the field.

"Swablu, use Aerial Ace!" The bluebird ascended to the air and dove towards its opponent.

"Ferro, use Stone Edge!" Swablu was hit by a barrage of sharp rocks, canceling its move and forcing it to ascend back into the air.

"Use Mirror Move!" A quick flash was shown on Swablu's body and sharp rocks were launched from its wings.

"Harden!" Ferro stiffened his body and the rocks bounced off of him. "Now, Iron Head!" The Lairon smashed his head into Swablu, knocking the small bird into unconsciousness.

"Swablu is unable to battle! Lairon wins!"

"_Too easy. That just means Winona's trying to throw us off our guard._" Davin thought. "_Well, it's not going to work. We've been through this too many times already._"

Winona called back Swablu. "Now, Tropius, let's go!" A brown creature with a long neck and leaf-like wings materialized into the battle.

"Sunny Day!" A white sphere formed in its mouth and was shot in the air, creating intense light in the room.

"Ferro, use Headbutt!"

"Solar Beam, now!" Tropius's wings glowed and a white beam of energy fired from its mouth. Though it seemed like a direct hit, Ferro kept charging and landed a head blow to its body. Winona gasped.

Davin called out, "Use Stone Edge!" making Ferro fire the rocks at Tropius. With an added Iron Head, the Grass/Flying Pokemon fell to its defeat.

"Tropius is unable to battle! Lairon wins!"

"Excellent!" Davin cheered.

Winona recalled Tropius to its ball. "Pretty impressive display, Davin. But, as you already know, the battle's just beginning!" She sent out a Pelipper as her next Pokemon.

"Ferro, take a break." The Poke ball bathed it in red light and absorbed it back in. "Luck, I choose you!" Davin's trusty Vigoroth came out on to the field.

"All right, use Uproar!" The Wild Monkey Pokemon stomped around and clapped its hands wildly, making Pelipper wince.

"Slash attack!" It ran at the airborne pelican with the claws on its right hand glowing white.

"Pelipper, Protect!" A green forcefield surrounded its body, rendering Luck's Slash useless as it hit.

"Use Water Gun!" Pelipper quickly shot a blast of water from its mouth, shooting Luck straight into the ground.

"Luck, use Focus Punch!"

"Supersonic!" Pelipper released multiple transparent sound waves from its mouth, making the Vigoroth confused. "Use Aerial Ace!" The pelican dived down and slammed its large beak into Luck's body, knocking it unconscious.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Pelipper wins!"

Davin recalled the fallen Normal type. "She may have caught me a little off guard, but I'm still in this." He sent out his Beautifly to battle next.

"Halo, use Gust!" The butterfly flapped its wings to create a strong, blowing wind.

"Protect!" The green forcefield appeared again, blocking Pelipper from the wind.

"I had a feeling she'd do that. Aerial Ace!" As soon as the forcefield disappeared, Pelipper was struck by Halo's attack.

"Now's the time to use the new move we learned during our training. Halo, use Energy Ball!" A green sphere formed in its proboscis and it was shot at Pelipper, bringing it down to the ground. That, along with an Aerial Ace, made Pelipper faint.

"Pelipper is unable to battle! Beautifly wins!"

"Great work, Halo!" Davin said.

"Beau, Beautifly." She thanked him.

Winona returned Pelipper. "No more playing around! Skarmory, let's go!" Her metal-coated bird Pokemon was sent out into the air.

"_Hmm... A Steel type is difficult to take down without the right moves... but I think we can do it!_ Halo, use Stun Spore!" The butterfly flapped her wings to send an orange powder towards the foe.

"Skarmory, Sand Attack!" The Armor Bird Pokemon flapped its wings to create a dust cloud that overpowered Stun Spore and blinded Halo so that she couldn't see.

Davin gasped as Winona said, "Now, Fury Attack!" in which Skarmory attacked Halo repeatedly with its beak in rapid succession.

"Halo, try to fly away!"

"Aerial Ace!" Skarmory backed up a little and slammed its sharp beak in the center of Beautifly's body, making it faint as it hit the ground.

"Beautifly is unable to battle! Skarmory wins!"


	28. Chapter 28 - Dragon Along The Steel

Davin called back Halo to her Poke ball. "_This isn't good. That Skarmory has great speed and attacks. Is there a way I can win this? _"

"Ros, I choose you!" The Mud Fish Pokemon entered the fight with a grin.

"Water Gun!"

"Dodge, Skarmory!" It flew to its left, avoiding the nearly close blast of water. "Steel Wing!" Skarmory's wings glowed and it used them to knock Ros into the ceiling.

"Ros, Water Gun!" Davin told it as it was falling. Ros regained his stamina and fired a blast of water, hitting Skarmory on the spot.

"Fight back with Fury Attack!" Skarmory recovered quickly and began to peck Ros over and over again. The Marshtomp landed on the ground on its back, but quickly stood to its feet.

"Ros, use Earthquake!" By jumping into the air and slamming on to the ground, a large quake shook the entire field. However, Skarmory wasn't affected by this. "_Shoot! I forgot that Ground-type attacks don't work on Flying-type Pokemon!_"

"A foolish mistake. Skarmory, finish it with Aerial Ace!" By advancing toward Ros and swiftly hitting him with a side slash of its wings, the Marshtomp fell on its back, unconscious.

"Marshtomp is unable to battle! Skarmory wins!"

"Good job, Ros. Return." Davin said as the Poke ball took it back in. The reason he said that was because he noticed Skarmory panting slowly, signifying that it was getting tired.

"Time to end this. Ferro, let's go!" Davin's Steel/Rock type made its second appearance. "Stone Edge, let's go!"

"Dodge it!" Skarmory rose into the air, but was immediately hit by the Lairon's Rock-type move.

"Just as I expected," Davin said. "Skarmory's used up so much of its energy that its beginning to slow down, which gives us the advantage. Ferro, use Headbutt!" Ferro ran at the airborne steel bird and rammed its head into it.

"Hang in there, Skarmory! Use Steel Wing!"

"Counter with Iron Head!"

The primary Steel types ran at each other with their respective moves. Skarmory swung its left wing, which was dodged by Ferro's jumping and the latter slammed its head against his opponent's with force, sending the bird flying backwards.

"Skarmory, no!" Winona cried. Skarmory landed on the ground, having finally fainted from 'Head-to-Head' impact.

"Skarmory is unable to battle! Lairon wins!"

"Way to go, Ferro! You did it." Davin cheered.

"Lair, Lairon." It nodded.

Winona called back her fallen Skarmory. "Don't think this is over yet. You've shown great strength, Davin, but now you're going to be up against my signature Pokemon!"

With a toss of her Poke ball, it opened to release an Altaria. Davin had recognized this Pokemon because his rival, Jett, had used one back at the Varex Pokemon League.

"With it being a Pokemon that Jett has owned, there's no way I'm going to lose to it! Ferro, use Stone Edge!"

"Altaria, use Earthquake!" The Humming Pokemon impacted the ground with its feet, sending shock waves to the Lairon. Ferro was blown back by the attack and hit the wall behind Davin, falling into unconsciousness.

"Lairon is unable to battle! Altaria wins!"

Davin was taken aback by this. "Ferro, return!" The Steel/Rock type was recalled for a hard earned rest. "_Well, this is it. My last Pokemon. But with the amount of power Altaria has, can I last for more than a second?_" He swallowed. "_Guess I'll have to find out._"

He took out a Poke ball and held it in the air; he shut his eyes as he said to it, "It's up to you now. I don't expect anything more than your best." He tossed it to the field and his Bagon made its gym battle debut.

"Soar, you ready for this?"

"Bay!" It answered with determination.

"All right, then. Let's start off with Dragon Claw!" Soar's right claw glowed light blue as it ran towards the foe.

"Altaria, Dragon Breath!" A white beam of air shot out from its beak that blew Soar back to its original spot.

"Soar, are you okay?"

"Bay... gon!" It yelled it pain. Its body began to shake as it tried to stand.

"Paralysis..." Davin noted.

"Now, use Dragon Dance!" Altaria flew into the air and began moving in an a sort of dance as its body glowed red, increasing its speed and attack power. "Aerial Ace!" Like a bullet, Altaria swept Soar off its feet with a single straight attack. "Dragon Breath!"

"Soar, Protect!" A green forcefield formed around it as Dragon Breath was blocked.

Winona grinned. "Aerial Ace!" As soon as the forcefield disappeared, Soar was struck and it fell to the ground with thud.

Davin gasped. "That's the same thing we did against her Pelipper!"

Winona chuckled. "Sometimes, you can learn a lot from your opponent if you study their moves correctly."

Soar struggled to stand, but it managed to succeed. It turned its head to see Altaria flying in the air from one place to the other to build its speed.  
Though its face didn't show it, Soar was in awe by the graceful Pokemon. It thought about its dream of one day flying in the sky and how Davin promised to help it make that dream become reality.

"Soar... can you keep going?"

"Baaaay..." It said angrily, looking at Davin in a look of what seemed like disgust. It held its arms to its chest and started to strain.

"Soar...?"

It gritted its teeth hard until a bright, white light engulfed its entire body.

"What's this?" Winona gasped.

Davin was in shock. "Is Soar... evolving?!"

It was true. Soar began to grow bigger and bigger, its body taking on a round shape. When the light was gone, a hardly recognizable Soar was revealed.

"Shelgoooooon!" It cried with its new voice. Davin opened the Pokedex in awe.

"Shelgon, the Endurance Pokemon. Shelgon is the evolved form of Bagon. Though its hard shell makes it sluggish in movement, it bounces off enemy attacks. When it evolves, the shell peels off in an instant."

Soar slowly turned around to face Altaria; a turquoise sphere formed in front of it and it was shot at Altaria, making it fall from the air.

"That was a Dragon Pulse." Winona said.

Immediately, Soar released a stream of fire that burned Altaria's body.

"And that's Flamethrower!" Davin smiled.

Lastly, the Shelgon ran at Altaria and bit it with Crunch, swinging it around once and throwing it on the ground. The attack succession left Altaria unconscious.

"Altaria is unable to battle! Shelgon wins! The victor of this battle is the challenger, Davin!"

"All right! We did it!" Davin cheered.

Winona returned Altaria and walked toward Davin. "Well, I must say, that was unexpected. But, overall, I lost." She held in her hand a badge that looked like a feather. "This Feather Badge is yours. Thank you for a great battle."

"Thank you very much." He proudly took his sixth badge.

"All right! I got the Feather Badge!" He cheered.

Davin knelt down to Soar and petted it. "Isn't this great, Soar? Not only did we win, you evolved, too. That means you're one evolution closer to your dream. And its all thanks to our teamwork."

"Shelgooooon..." It narrowed its eyes, which were filled with anger and annoyance.


	29. Chapter 29 - A Dragon's Rage

"So the next gym spot is Mossdeep City..." Davin said as he checked his Pokegear map. He had just healed his Pokemon back in Fortree and was walking through the middle area of Route 120, making his way to Lilycove City. "Just two more and I'll be able to enter the Hoenn League!"

After walking for awhile, he crossed a short bridge and came across the last part of the route, where he could see Route 121.

"Hmm... maybe I should take this time to do what I was planning." he suddenly said. He got out all six of his Poke balls and tossed them in the air, releasing all of his beloved Pokemon. "Okay, guys. We seem to be in a pretty calm area, so you guys can run around and play for a while if you want."

Everyone, but Soar, cheered and went off. "Hold on, Ros!" Davin called to his Marshtomp, who stopped and turned around at the mention of his name. "You're going to have to play later. You and I need to do some training."

"Marsh?" It questioned.

"Remember when you used Earthquake back in our gym battle and it had no effect? Well, I think we need to replace that move with a new one because even though its powerful, it's easy for opponents to evade or not be affected by it. You understand?"

It nodded firmly. "Marsh-tomp!"

Davin smiled. "Good." He put a hand to his chin. "Now, if we can only find you a sparring partner..." He looked around a bit at his Pokemon when his eyes stopped at the Shelgon, who had not moved from the spot it was released and had a menacing glare. "Would you like to do the honors, Soar?"

"Shelgon." It muttered as it walked to its position, 5 feet from Ros.

"Let's get started! Ros, start off with Water Gun!" The Marshtomp's blast of water was launched from its mouth only to be blocked by Soar's Protect.

"Nice one, Soar. Alright, now use your Crunch attack!" But the Shelgon blew a stream of flames at Ros, who dodged out of the way.

"Huh? Soar, I said to use Crunch, not Flamethrower." The dragon Pokemon didn't respond. "Well, whatever. Ros, use Rest!" Ros laid on the grass-covered ground and shut its eyes while restoration energy flowed through its body.

Without waiting for a command, Soar proceeded to rush at its comrade while charging its Crunch move.

"Soar, what are you doing?!" Davin exclaimed. The Shelgon bit down on Ros and tossed him into a nearby bush. Deciding to ignore what just happened, Davin called out, "Sleep Talk!" and earthquake shock waves were sent through the ground. Soar used Protect to defend itself.

Davin was noticeably mad. "All right, Soar, what's the deal? I tell you to use a specific move and you use a totally different one. Is there something bugging you?"

"Sheeeeel-GON!" It yelled as it released its Flamethrower at Davin. The boy barely dodged it as he was taken by surprise.

"Soar, what's the..." He was interrupted at Soar biting his arm with Crunch. It swung him around and threw him towards the direction of the other Pokemon, who quickly went out of the way as their trainer landed hard.

After Luck helped him to sit up, Davin looked at Soar, who was scraping its foot against the ground like a rhino that was about to charge. "Stop it, Soar! Why are you acting like this? We're friends, remember?"

Ignoring him, Soar prepared to launch Dragon Pulse at the group, but a Water Gun shot out of nowhere and knocked it to the side. It turned out that Ros had awakened from Rest and was angry that Soar was attacking his friends.

Ros got in front of the group and started to communicate with Soar. "Marshtomp! Mar Mar Marshtomp! (Soar! Quit attacking our friends!)"

"Shelgon? Shel Shelgon! (_Our _friends? They're no friends of mine!)"

"Mar Marshtomp? Marshtomp Marsh? (What are you saying? What's wrong with you?)"

"Shelgon! Shelgon! Shelgon, Shelgon, Gon! (I believed in him! I trusted him! And he ended up betraying me!)"

"Mar, Mar? Mar Marshtomp? (Who, Davin? What are you talking about?)"

"Shelgon Shelgon Gon Shel Shel Shelgon. Shelgon, Gon, Gon, Shel Shelgon! (Davin promised me that he would help me achieve my dream of flying and I believed him. But after that recent battle, I realized that he only _prevented_ me from reaching my goal!)"

"Mar Marshtomp! Marshtomp Marshtomp! (How can you say that?! Davin would never do that to anybody!)"

"Shelgon Shel Shelgon? Shelgon, Shelgon, SHELGON! (Why am I wasting my time talking to you? No one understands ME!)" Soar launched his Dragon Pulse and it hit Ros directly, knocking him into Davin.

"Ros, are you alright?" Davin asked in concern.

"Marsh..." He answered, a bit uneasy.

"Sheeelll...GOOOOONNNNN!" Soar shouted as its body glowed with clear white. Everyone gasped.

"Soar's evolving!" Davin shouted.

The Shelgon increased in size as it grew larger feet, a pair of big wings, and a long tail. The glowing had stopped and a ferocious dragon roared in the Shelgon's place.

"It's Salamence!" Davin said as he got out his Pokedex.

"Salamence, the Dragon Pokemon. Salamence is the evolved form of Shelgon. When it becomes enraged, Salamence flies around and spouts flames, scorching fields and mountains wherever it goes."

Soar, with its newly acquired wings, took to the air and started to shoot its Flamethrower in the sky while flying. "Groooooooahh! (I can finally fly!)" It screeched. He looked down at Davin. "GrrroooooooOOOOHHH! (And it's no thanks to YOUUUUUUUU!)" He gathered energy in his mouth and fired a Hyper Beam towards the ground.

"Look out!" Davin shouted as they all moved out of the way, just in time. The boy looked at the roaring Salamence. "I don't know what his problem is, but it looks like we have no choice. Everyone, get ready to fight!" The Pokemon agreed and got in front of their trainer so that he wouldn't be harmed.

Soar was preparing for a second Hyper Beam. "All right! Ros, use Water Gun! Halo, use Energy Ball! Luck, use Uproar! Ferro, use Stone Edge! Ira, use Screech!"

All of them used their respective moves against the fired Hyper Beam, which resulted in an explosion. Through the smoke, Soar used Steel Wing and knocked everybody off their feet, sending them flying on top of Davin.

"It's no use..." Davin said while underneath them. "He's too strong..."

"MARSH!" Ros shot out of his piled teammates and stood out to face Soar.

Davin stood to his feet. "Don't do it, Ros! You'll only get hurt!"

Ros put a smirk on his face. The Water/Ground Pokemon began to glow the same way Soar had earlier.

Davin could only gasp as he saw Ros transform in front of his eyes and when the light faded, a new Ros was ready to battle!

Davin's Pokedex  
"Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokemon. Swampert is the evolved form of Marshtomp. When Swampert senses the approach of a storm or tidal wave, it protects its seaside nest by piling up boulders. It can also swim as fast as a jet ski."  
  
Unaffected by the transformation, Soar launched its third Hyper Beam.

"Dodge it, Ros!" He followed his trainers orders and narrowly escaped. Soar flew down to hit him with Steel Wing.

"Ros, use Muddy Water!" The Swampert put his hands in front of him and focused his energy into them. Then, a tidal wave of brown water erupted from the ground and splashed Soar, which proved to be minor damage to the Dragon Pokemon.

Davin grunted. "Even with Ros's new power, it still won't be easy to take down." Right then, a light bulb went off in his head. "That's it! Why didn't I think of that before?"

He took out Soar's Poke ball and held it in front of him. "Time for you to calm down! Return, Soar!" The red beam shot out from it, but the Salamence swiftly dodged and, to Davin's shock, flew towards him and snatched the Poke ball from his hand.

"Soar, what do you think your doing?" His question was answered when Soar put the Poke ball in his mouth and _destroyed _it completely by crushing it with its teeth.

"AAAH!" Davin shouted in horror.

Soar victoriously blew another Flamethrower into the air and flew off into the distance, away from his former trainer.

The Pokemon were in disbelief, as well as Davin. "Well... Looks like Soar's on his own again." Davin sighed and collapsed to the ground. "Ah, man. Talk about a hectic experience."


	30. Chapter 30 - Lilycove Pride

"Wow! What a huge city!" Davin exclaimed at the sight of Lilycove. After crossing through Route 121, he had arrived at the city that was near the ocean which would take him to Mossdeep City.

"I better go heal up at the Pokemon Center. Soar really did a number on them." Davin was still sad and confused on why his former Salamence had just gone crazy like it did awhile ago. Was it something he said? What could he have possibly done to make it so mad at him?

He ignored the thought and ran straight into the Pokemon Center. He looked around, seeing a bunch of trainers gathered, but one person he saw in particular got him excited.

"MAURA~!" Davin shouted.

The brown haired girl that was sitting in a table booth turned around at the mention of the name.

"DAVIN~!" she shouted, recognizing the black haired boy. They both ran towards each other and embraced.

"It's good to see you again." said Davin happily.

"You too." Maura responded, letting go of him.

After their small reunion, they decided to catch up with each other and talk about their recent achievements.

"So you now have six badges? That's wonderful!" Maura smiled.

"Well, it's not as wonderful as you having four ribbons and five badges." Davin smiled back. Maura had told him that she won the Heat and Balance Badges from Lavaridge and Petalburg, but lost against Winona in Fortree and decided to skip it for the time being. She also told him that she won the Slateport and Rustboro Pokemon contests.

"So what are you doing here in Lilycove?" she had asked.

"I'm just passing through. The ocean near this city leads to Mossdeep City, where the next gym is located."

"I knew that. I was planning on going there after I had finished my business here."

"Which is...?"

"Entering the Lilycove Pokemon contest, of course! If I win a ribbon there, I'll have enough ribbons to enter the Grand Festival."

Davin grinned. "That's good to hear."

After healing his Pokemon, Davin and Maura walked out of the Pokemon Center together. "So when's the contest supposed to start?"

"Sometime tomorrow. I wanted to get here early so I wouldn't be late for the registration deadline." Maura gasped. "Speaking of which, I almost forgot. I need to go to the department store to pick up some things. Care to join me?"

"Like I would say no to you. I'd love to go." he smiled.

Maura giggled at his sweetness.

* * *

When they walked up the stairs that lead to the store, Maura started a conversation. "Hey, Davin?"

"Hmm?"

"You know... I've really missed you ever since we separated." she blushed.

"You have?"

She nodded. "It's just... you're such a nice person... a-and you have a great personality..." she swallowed. "I was wondering if... maybe... you'd..." she was then interrupted by a gasp from Davin. Maura turned to where he was facing and saw a blonde haired boy wearing a white jacket and blue jeans staring at the front of the department store.

"Haro..." Davin said. The call of his name got the boy's attention and he scowled when he recognized who it was.

"Haro? Isn't he the guy you told me about? The one you lost to?" she asked.

Davin nodded. "Yeah. And just recently, I defeated him when we last encountered each other."

Haro pointed his finger. "You shut it! You had just caught me on an off day, that's all!"

Davin's anger awoke. "What are you talking about? _You're_ the one who challenged _me_, remember?"

"Guys, just calm down." Maura intervened.

Haro looked at her, then he looked at Davin. "Who's the chick?"

"_Excuse_ me?" she said, offended. "My name is Maura. I'm... his friend..." she said, sounding hesitant.

Haro smirked. "You must have exceptionally low standards if _he's _your friend."

Davin ignored the insult. "What are you doing here anyway? It's not like you to be in a city where there's no gym."

He closed his eyes. "What? A guy can't come and visit his hometown once in awhile?"

"You live here?!" Davin was stunned. "No way!"

"Way. I was born and raised in this city for eleven years." He turned and pointed to a house with a big backyard at the far east of the sea shore. "Over there is where I live."

"Huh." Davin said, taking in the information. "Well, how's about we battle. If what you say is true about our last battle, then you should have no problem in defeating me this time."

"Sure, why not? I could use a good warm up anyway." Haro agreed.

Davin nodded and faced Maura. "You go ahead in without me. I'll catch up with you after I'm done."

"Are you kidding? There's no way I'm going to miss a battle that _you're_ in." she glared at Haro. "Not to mention that I want to see the look on that guy's face when you beat him."

Both boys were ready and took their battle positions while Maura leaned on the wall of the building to watch.

"Shall we do the usual?" Haro asked.

"You bet!" Davin agreed. "Halo, I choose you!" He threw a Poke ball and his Beautifly appeared in the air in a flash of white light.

Haro smirked. "I had a feeling I'd see you in this battle." He tossed his Poke ball to the sky. "Dustox, let's go!" The Poison Moth Pokemon appeared in flight with Halo.

"I didn't know you had a Dustox." Davin stated.

"Just to let you know, after I lost to you, I decided that I needed a new battling strategy." Haro explained. "So when I came to Lilycove, I went home and left my current team there, with Bayleef and Linoone as exceptions, and replaced them with Pokemon I've previously caught. This Dustox is one of them."

"Well, let's see if you've made progress. Halo, Aerial Ace!" The Beautifly got higher into the air and dove towards Dustox.

"Dodge it!" It flew upward before Halo could strike. "Use Attract!"

Hearts flew around Dustox and it sent them towards Halo. Once hit, Halo had hearts in its eyes and it gazed at Dustox admiringly.

Davin groaned. "Oh, great. Now Halo has Dustox fever."

"Silver Wind!" Dustox flapped its wings to release a wind with silver crescents in it. Halo was struck and fell to the ground, though it was too infatuated with Dustox to care.

"Halo, snap out of it! Try and use Gust!" She flew into the air and pushed Dustox backwards with the wind it blew from its wings. "That's what I'm talking about! Way to go!"

"Stay focused, Dustox! Psybeam!" A multicolored beam shot from its eyes and Halo was struck again.

"Use your Stun Spore!" Halo was too busy bouncing up and down over Dustox to hear his orders. "Come on!"

"Finish it with Air Cutter!" Light blue S-shapes were flung from its flapping wings and they slashed Halo one after the other. Eventually, the butterfly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Davin grunted. "Return, Halo." The Poke ball absorbed the fallen Pokemon. Haro mirrored this action by recalling his Dustox.

"Ferro, you're up!" The Iron Armor Pokemon materialized into battle.

"Ah! So that little guy evolved," Maura commented.

"Vulpix, come out!" A small, red-orange fox with six tails appeared on Haro's side.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon. It can freely control fire, making fiery orbs fly. Before evolution, it's six tails grow hot as if they were on fire."  
  
"Just because it's Fire against Steel doesn't mean you should get smug. Ferro, use Stone Edge!" The sharp rocks formed and rotated around Ferro and it shot them towards the cute fox.

"Use Safeguard!" Vulpix's body glowed green and a barrier formed around it, protecting it from the stones. "Now, use Fire Spin!" It shot a spiraling red-orange flame from its mouth, hitting the Lairon on the spot, but it was still okay.

"Headbutt, go!" It slammed its head against Vulpix's body, causing damage.

"Use Dark Pulse!" A black and purple beam was released from its mouth.

"Dodge and use Stone Edge!" Ferro jumped to the side and fired its sharp rocks, this time making contact with the flame fox and making it fall into an unconscious state.

Haro called back the fox with more than less of bitterness. Davin copied and called back the victor of the battle.

Davin wore a toothy grin. "Ros, come on out!" His newly evolved Swampert made its battling debut in its new form.

"And _he's_ evolved as well!" Maura said to herself. "Davin really has gotten stronger since we departed."

"What do you think, Haro? My Mudkip's evolved to its final evolution. Impressed yet?"

"Please. Let me show you a _real _final evolved Pokemon!" He tossed his next Poke ball in the air and a green Pokemon with a pink flower around its neck entered the battle.

"What's that?" Davin asked himself as he checked his Pokedex.

"Meganium, the Herb Pokemon. Meganium is the evolved form of Bayleef. The fragrance of Meganium's flower soothes and calms emotions. In battle, it gives off more of its becalming scent to blunt the foe's fighting spirit."

"So your Bayleef's evolved as well, eh?" Davin said. "This'll be Ros's first battle as a Swampert."

Haro gave a smirk. "What a coincidence. My Meganium just evolved recently, so this'll be _its _first new-form battle as well."

"Then, let's get started! Ros, use Water Gun!" A straight shot of water blasted from its mouth.

"Meganium, Petal Dance!" A spiral of pink petals were released from the flower around its neck and they proved to be more powerful than they looked by penetrating Water Gun and hitting its target on Ros.

"Use Muddy Water!" Brown, mud-like water was shot from its mouth, just like Water Gun.

"Petal Dance, once more!" The petals made another round and didn't break a sweat as they repeated the penetration technique.

"Quick, use Rest!"

"Petal Dance, now!" Right before it could shut its eyes, Petal Dance made another strike and the Swampert fainted to the ground.

"Oh no! Ros!" Davin exclaimed.

Meganium began to dizzily sway back and forth, confused from using Petal Dance.

"Just as expected from you, Meganium." Haro spoke, not sounding disappointed or happy, as he called it back. Davin recalled Ros as well.

"_All right. So far, it's one win for me and two wins for him. There's no way i'm going to let him win. __**No way!**_"


	31. Chapter 31 - An Electrifying Display

"Now, Ira, I choose you!" Davin's Carvanha was released from its Poke ball.

Haro smirked. "Pikachu, let's go!" The ball he threw opened and a yellow mouse with red cheeks, pointy ears, and a lightning bolt shaped tail was sent out.

"_Haro_ has a Pikachu?!" Davin said in surprise.

"It's so cute!" Maura said as she opened her pokedex.

"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon." Its female voice said. "It stores electricity in the electric sacs on both of its cheeks. When it releases pent-up energy in a burst, the electricity power is equal to a lightning bolt."

"I caught this Pikachu back at the Safari Zone," Haro explained. "Since Electric types are deemed as a necessity to a trainer's team, I thought I'd catch myself one. Think that pathetic Carvanha of yours can handle it?" That earned him a nasty glare from Ira.

"I never back down from a challenge!" Davin grinned. "Ira, use Aqua Jet!" The Water/Dark type came at Pikachu with its body surrounded in water.

"Thunderbolt!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked and it released a blast of electricity, which struck Ira and made it fall to the ground. "Follow with Discharge!" Another blast of electricity came out, only instead of yellow, it was light blue.

"Ira, Endure!" The Pokemon braced itself as the Discharge flowed through its outer body. Fortunately, it was still in good health.

"Alright, use Swagger!" Ira glared menacingly at Pikachu with its eyes glowing red. Pikachu was surprised one minute and confused the next.

"What are you thinking?" Haro asked. "You know that when Swagger confuses the opponent, it also raises its attack power."

Davin grinned. "That may be true, but you're forgetting that if Pikachu fails to use one of its moves, it takes damage, and since its attack power is raised, that does more damage than it usually would." He pointed his finger forward. "Ira, use Take Down!" Ira bounced its way across to get to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Slam!" Pikachu raised its right foot and swung its tail... to its own face! That gave Ira an advantage and it rammed its body into the loopy electric mouse.

"Now, Aqua Jet!"

"Discharge, Pikachu!" It shot out electricity in random directions, but one of the blasts hit Ira, making it fall to the ground again. "Try using Slam again!" Still confused, Pikachu intentionally jumped in the air and landed a hit on to Ira with its tail.

"You okay, Ira?" Davin asked. It struggled a bit, but it could still fight.

"Wow. That Carvanha has a lot of determination." Maura noted. "I can see why its one of Davin's Pokemon." she smiled.

Pikachu shook itself off and regained its stability. "Its confusion is gone." Haro said. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Endure it!" Ira was unlucky as the Thunderbolt hit it before it could fully use the move.

"Finish this with Slam!" Pikachu ran towards its foe and landed a hit on to it, causing Ira to be knocked back against the ground.

"Ira!" Davin shouted. The Carvanha tried to get up, but it fell back on the ground, unconscious. Before Davin could mentally scold himself for losing, he was surprised to find that Pikachu had lost consciousness at the same time and had fallen to the ground, face-first.

"What?! But how?!" Haro shouted, angry and shocked.

Davin smugly grinned. "Looks like Ira's Rough Skin ability took its toll on your Pikachu. Every time you used Slam, it took damage because it was a physical move against its body."

Haro sneered at the realization and recalled his Pikachu. "Well, it doesn't matter. Since the battle ended in a draw, that means I win because I beat you twice."

"Whatever," Davin said as he recalled Ira. "I'm just satisfied that the last battle was a draw because that means we're equal in strength."

"That was only just one of my Pokemon, idiot! And I had just caught it, so that means you're still weaker than me." Davin scowled at this, but Haro just walked away.

"Man, what a creep." Maura said as she came to Davin's side. "You alright? You're not going to faint again, are you?"

Davin chuckled. "Of course not. That was just a one-time thing." He faced the department store. "So, ready to go in?"

"What about your Pokemon? Don't you want to heal them?"

He shook his head. "Later. Right now, I have to keep my promise to you."

"Oh..." she said, surprised. "Well... thank you, Davin."

"Anytime." he smiled.

With that, the two entered the Lilycove department store so that Maura could buy what she needed.


	32. Chapter 32 - Beauty Of The Contest

"We've reached the final round of the Lilycove City Pokemon Contest!" The MC, Vivian, announced.

After Davin and Maura had exited the department store, they saw that it was getting dark and went back to the Pokemon center to rest. The next day, Maura entered the contest, with Davin watching her from the audience, and she had made it past the appeals round using only her Volbeat.

"Now, for the final battle to this contest, we have Jenna from Pacifidlog Town versus Maura from Blackthorn City!" Both girls had determination in their eyes as they stared at each other. "5 minutes on the clock. Begin~!"

"Volbeat, steal the show!" She tossed the Poke ball in the air and the Firefly Pokemon made its appearance.

"Kirlia, to the stage!" Jenna released her Pokemon: A white, human-like figure that looked like a ballerina.

"You can do it, Maura!" Davin cheered.

"Volbeat, Captivate!" It danced around a little, releasing pink hearts from its antennae at the opponent.

"Kirlia, use Teleport!" In the blink of an eye, the Emotion Pokemon vanished before everyone's eyes; Maura's points slowly decreased.

"Where is it now?" Maura said, looking around to find it.

"Shadow Ball!" A black and purple ball of energy came from behind and struck Volbeat to the ground, Maura's points decreasing even more. Kirlia returned to its original spot.

"Use Flash!" Volbeat faced Kirlia with its tail and a bright, blinding light emitted from it, making Kirlia unable to see; Jenna's points decreased.

"Signal Beam!" A rainbow colored ball formed between its antennae and a beam shot out, hitting Kirlia. That, with the combined power of Flash, made Jenna's points lower more.

"Kirlia, Psychic!"

"Volbeat, Thunderbolt!"

The horns on Kirlia's head glowed blue and it shot out a beam of energy while Volbeat released a blast of electricity from its body. Both attacks exploded on contact, decreasing both participants' points.

"Ladies and gentleman, we've just passed the 3 minute mark! Both coordinators have lost a fair amount of points! How will they respond?"

"Kirlia, dance while using Shadow Ball!" The Pokemon obeyed and began doing a pirouette, firing multiple Shadow Balls as it started to spin.

"Dodge them, Volbeat!" The bug Pokemon did some unique dodging by doing back flips and side steps in mid air. Both of their points began to fade away.

"Time to end it. Volbeat, Captivate, then use Signal Beam!" The multiple pink hearts fired from its body, making Kirlia feel dizzy when they hit. Next, it fired the rainbow beam from its antennae, striking Kirlia in the middle and making it faint.

"And that's that!" Vivian announced. "With only 1:01 to spare, the winner of the Lilycove Pokemon contest is Maura!"

Everyone cheered for her as she stood there in disbelief.

"I won?... I WON!" she ran on to the stadium and trapped Volbeat in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Volbeat! You were awesome!"

"Volbeat, Volbe." It smiled.

"She did it! She really did it! I'm so proud of her!" Davin shouted. Great happiness filled his thoughts over Maura's success. He was truly glad that his friend reached her goal.

At the ribbon ceremony, one of the judges handed out a ribbon to Maura and Volbeat. "I understand that this is your fifth ribbon. Best of luck in the Grand Festival, Maura."

She took the ribbon in her hand. "Thank you very much." She held the ribbon in the air and rejoiced, "It finally happened. I got the Lilycove ribbon!"

"Vol-beat!" Volbeat cheered.

Vivian signed off, "And that ends the Lilycove Pokemon contest. Until next time, folks!"

* * *

"Congratulations, Maura! You did it!" Davin cheered as they exited the contest hall.

"Thanks." She opened her ribbon case and placed the Lilycove ribbon in it with her other ones. "Five ribbons... I'm finally going to the Grand Festival. This feels like a dream."

"It's 100% reality, Maura." Davin smiled. "So you said you were going to Mossdeep city after this, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's go together. That way, we can challenge the gym at the same time."

Maura beamed. "I'd love to!"

Davin nodded. "Great. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

As the sun began to set, the two of them headed back to the Pokemon center to rest up for their voyage across the sea towards Mossdeep City.


	33. Chapter 33 - Setting Sail

Morning had arrived in Lilycove City. Davin stepped into the Pokemon Center lobby and stretched his arms. "Mmmmm... that was some good sleep last night." He yawned.

Maura trotted down the stairs behind him. "Morning, Davin. Ready to go?"

"Hmm? Go where?"

"Mossdeep City?" She gave him a strange look.

"Oh yeah." He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Guess I'm not fully awake yet."

Maura giggled. "I understand." She headed towards the exit, but noticed that Davin wasn't following. "Something wrong?"

Davin had his head down. "It just occurred to me... Mossdeep City is across the ocean near here, right?"

"Yeah?"

Davin looked up. "So how are we going to get across it?"

Maura giggled and winked at him. "I'm already one step ahead of you."

* * *

Sometime later, Davin and Maura exited the Pokemon Center and stood on the city's ocean shore, watching the waves.

"So, Maura... what exactly _is_ your plan?" The boy questioned.

"Just be patient and you'll see." She answered, not taking her eyes off the water.

Davin sighed. "I just don't see what staring into the ocean has to do with us getting across th..." He was cut off by the sight of bubbles popping out of the ocean.

Maura smiled. "Here it comes..."

In the area of the bubbles, a big, blue, sphere-shaped creature came out to the surface of the sea. It sprayed water from the top of its head into the air.

"It's here." Maura confirmed as Davin took out his Pokedex to see what 'it' was.

"Wailmer, the Ball Whale Pokemon. Wailmer can store water in its body to make itself bounce on the ground. The more water it stores, the higher it can bounce."

"Go, Crawdaunt!" Maura threw a Poke ball and a big lobster with a star on its forehead appeared on the sandy surface.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Crawdaunt, the Rogue Pokemon. Crawdaunt is the evolved form of Corphish. Due to its violent nature, it is compelled to challenge any living thing to a fight. A Crawdaunt that has prevailed in hundreds of battles has large pincers marked with countless scars."

"So... you mind telling me what's going on here?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said. "Wailmer can carry a fair amount of people on its back and if I catch it, we can go across the ocean to Mossdeep City with no problem."

"Oooh, now it makes sense! Go for it, Maura!"

She nodded. "Okay, Crawdaunt! Crab Hammer!" It jumped in the air and dived towards the whale with its right claw.

Wailmer responded by blowing out white smoke from its blowhole, obscuring Crawdaunt's vision.

"It's using Mist." Davin stated.

"Crawdaunt, Protect!" It landed on the ground and crossed its claws as a green forcefield surrounded it. As expected, Wailmer came through the Mist and tried to slam itself into Crawdaunt, but failed and was knocked back into the water.

"Night Slash!" Crawdaunt's left claw glowed purple and it used it to hit Wailmer on top of its head.

The Ball Whale Pokemon spouted water from its blowhole to create a whirlpool on top of its head. With a single thrust, the swirling water was thrown at the enemy.

"Intercept it with your claws!" The dual type Pokemon followed orders and managed to hold off the whirlpool. With a small amount of effort, it destroyed it by tossing it in the air.

"All right! Finish it with Guillotine!" Both of its claws glowed and it snapped them shut on Wailmer's skin, forcing the Pokemon to roll over with its head in the water.

"And now! Go, Poke ball!" The red and white sphere sucked Wailmer inside as soon as it touched it. On the surface of the water, the ball shook with the red light on. Soon, it stopped shaking and it just floated there casually.

"Success!" Maura cheered as Crawdaunt went into the water and brought her the ball. "Wailmer is all ours!"

"That's great!" Davin said. "Maura, you were awesome."

"Thanks, but it was Crawdaunt who made this possible. He was just too strong for Wailmer to handle, right?"

"Craw Crawdaunt!" It agreed as Maura stroked its back.

She called back the Water/Dark type and released her new Pokemon out in the water. "Hi, Wailmer. Sorry about earlier, but we just needed a way across the ocean. You don't mind taking us, do you?"

"Wail Wail." It shook its head with a smile.

"Cool!" She ran to Wailmer jumped on to it. "Come on, Davin!"

"Right." He came to them and Maura helped him on to the Pokemon.

"Okay, Wailmer! Head straight north to Mossdeep City!"

"Waaaaail!" It bellowed as it took off. The passengers held on while laying down on their transportation.

Davin grinned. "Seventh badge... here I come!"


	34. Chapter 34 - My Shoal Purpose To Find

"There! I see it!" Maura pointed. Davin looked and saw some sort of town coming into view.

"It's Mossdeep City!" He shouted.

"It sure is." Maura looked at their transportation. "Wailmer, full speed ahead!"

"WAAAAAAIII!" Wailmer shouted as it increased its speed, almost knocking the passengers into the water.

Seconds later, they arrived on the shore of their destination. Maura returned Wailmer to its Poke ball, thanking it for a good job. "So, shall we head to the gym?" She asked Davin.

"Hmm..." He pondered. "Well, before we just rush in, we need to figure out what kind of Pokemon the gym leader uses, so we can plan a strategy."

"Back in Lilycove, I've heard that Psychic Pokemon are the gym leader's specialty." Maura said.

"Cool. Then we'll work from there." Davin looked towards the west of the shore. "But first... there's something I've got to take care of."

"What's that?"

"_I _heard something when we were in Lilycove City, too." He pointed to where he was staring. "In that direction, there's a place called Shoal Cave and it's been said that some rare Pokemon live there." he turned to Maura. "I want to capture one, so that my team will be six again."

She gave him an odd look. "What do you mean 'six again'? Did something happen that you didn't tell me?"

"Long story. Listen, you go ahead and go to the Pokemon Center. I'll meet you there as soon as I'm done at Shoal Cave."

She nodded. "Alright. Just be careful, okay?"

"Right." Davin tossed a Poke ball and his Swampert appeared in the water. "Ros, you think you can take me to that cave over there?" He pointed.

It nodded. "Swampert."

Davin got on its back and began to swim in the general direction. "Be back soon, Maura!" He called and waved to her.

* * *

Minutes later, Davin arrived at the shore of the cave and returned Ros upon standing on the surface. He stared at the entrance and said to himself, "I'm goin' in!"

He witnessed a huge cavern as he entered. "This place is so big. Will I even be able to find a Pokemon in here?" The question was answered when a round, blue, white-spotted object rolled out of nowhere into the sight of his eyes.

"Huh?" The object unfolded itself and eyes, teeth, and a tail were revealed to be on it. "What is that?" Davin opened his Pokedex.

"Spheal, the Clap Pokemon. Because of its plushy fur, it never feels the cold even when it is rolling about on ice floes or diving in the sea."

"So that's a Spheal, huh?" Davin took out a Poke ball. "Then, I'll make it mine. Let's go, Ferro!" His trusty Lairon appeared in front of him.

"Use Iron Head!" Ferro's head glowed and it make contact with Spheal, knocking it into a large rock.

The round seal responded by shooting a ball of ice from its mouth. "Harden!" Ferro stood firm as the Ice Ball made contact, which had no effect.

"Headbutt!" The Lairon charged at the foe, but Spheal used Defense Curl and the attack was bounced off. Spheal then proceeded to fire a rainbow colored beam from its mouth. "Take it head-on with Iron Head!" It did just that, charging as the Aurora Beam hit it, and made contact with Spheal, causing it to lay on its side.

The trainer prepared for capture. "Let's go, Poke ball!" It was thrown, but the Spheal suddenly opened its eyes and it smacked the Poke ball away with its tail, causing it to hit Davin in the face and making him fall over. It then curled into a ball and rolled away deep into the cave.

"Ow..." Davin groaned. "I could've sworn it was down for sure." He picked up the Poke ball that hit him and he put it back into his pocket, also returning Ferro to his ball. "Guess I'll just have to keep searching."

He traveled further into the cave, where he came across two flat bridges that were parallel to each other. "Weird how there's a bridge in the middle of a cave..." he thought.

He started to cross the first bridge when a loud screech stopped him in the middle of it, making him cover his ears. "What's that noise?!" he shouted over the sound.

When Davin opened his eyes, he saw that the culprit was a bat with a huge, opened mouth.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Golbat, the Bat Pokemon. Golbat is the evolved form of Zubat. It loves to feast on the blood of people and Pokémon. It flits about in darkness and strikes from behind."

"A Golbat... That would make a good Pokemon." He sent out his Vigoroth to do battle. "All right, Luck! Fury Swipes!" It was prepared to strike, but a thick, black fog escaped from Golbat's mouth to hinder his sight. The Golbat proceeded to strike Luck from behind, knocking it on to the bridge's surface.

"Use Uproar!" Luck started to make loud noises, making Golbat flinch. "Now, Focus Punch!" The Vigoroth landed a blow on to Golbat's head and it fell to the bridge's surface.

"That should be enough! Now, Poke ball, go!" The ball hit Golbat and it disappeared inside. It began to do its usual routine of shaking, but it abruptly opened and the Golbat appeared from the ball's white light. "Shoot!" Golbat used Haze for the second time, obscuring both Pokemon and trainer's vision, and when things were seeable again, the bat had vanished.

"It got away..." Davin sighed as he called back Luck. "This just isn't my day, is it?"

Not giving up, Davin went further into the cave and, to his surprise, came across a room that was entirely covered in ice; stalagmites covered most of the room, but only near the walls.

"Wow! Look at this place!" He said. "There's got to be a rare Pokemon in here somewhere."

After taking one step, he slipped on the slippery surface and nearly cracked his head open. "OWW! Gah... that really hurt!" He managed to sit up while holding the back of his head and he noticed something: A small, yellow figure with 3 orange diamonds on its back was eating some icicles in the short distance.

"Hey... isn't that a...?" He got out his mechanical encyclopedia.

"Snorunt, the Snow Hat Pokemon. In snowy regions, it is said that when they are seen late at night, snowfall will arrive by morning."

"I knew it! It _is_ a Snorunt!" He remembered how his friend Elaine, from Varex, had a Snorunt and that it had evolved into a Glalie. "It had put up a good fight back at the Varex League... and maybe if I raise that Snorunt properly, it'll help me win the Hoenn League!"

Davin called out Halo to do the job as he sat there, still holding his head. "_No way I'm making the same mistake twice by standing up,_" he thought. "But there's no way I'm going to let this one get away! Halo, use Gust!" The Beautifly flapped its wings to summon a wild breeze of wind. The Snorunt felt the hit from behind as it was eating and it angrily turned around.

"Sno, Snorunt!" It shouted. A wind with sparkling blue snow was blown from its mouth.

"That's Icy Wind... Halo, dodge!" It turned its body to the right to avoid the move. "Energy Ball!" The green ball of energy was fired, but the Snorunt proved its speed by jumping out of the way. Then, its fangs started to glow as it ran toward Halo and bit down on one of her wings.

"Shake it off!" She wildly moved her body to get the nuisance off, but Snorunt showed no fear as it clung on to her wing with its teeth.

Davin grunted in frustration, but then got an idea. "Halo, use Aerial Ace and aim straight for the wall!"

"Beautifly!" It followed the command and headed to the target at full force. When it collided into the wall, Snorunt suffered pain from the impact and let go of Halo's wing.

"Awesome! Now, use Stun Spore!" The orange powder was summoned from Halo's wings as it made Snorunt unable to move its body. "Aerial Ace!" Halo pulled back in the air and shot itself towards the Ice-type Pokemon, resulting in a direct hit and making Snorunt fall on its right side.

"Now, for the third try. Go, Poke ball!" The red and white sphere absorbed Snorunt upon contact. The red light blinked as the ball rocked back and forth on the icy floor. Suddenly, the ball opened and Snorunt was back out.

Davin grunted. "Energy Ball!" The green sphere exploded on contact with Snorunt, making it fall on its side again.

"That should do it! This time, it won't fail!" He threw the ball again and it took in the Pokemon. The ball repeated its previous motions as Davin stared at it intently, hoping for it to stop. To his joy, it did stop as the red light blinked out into white sparks of light.

"YEAH!" Davin cheered. He carefully crawled over to the Poke ball and picked it up. On his knees, he lifted the ball into the air and shouted, "This Snorunt is all mine!"

"Beau! Beautifly!" Halo rejoiced.

"Thank you for a great job, Halo!" He sent the butterfly back into her Poke ball. "Okay. Now let's see if I can get out of here..."

Taking a risk, Davin stood up on his legs. "Maybe if I hold on to one of the stalagmites, I can guide my way to the exit." He reached over to the one nearest him, though it was far to reach. "Almost there..." He extended his arm further, but the attempt caused him to lose his footing and bang his forehead on the ice floor.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! "


	35. Chapter 35 - Vs Tate & Liza

Maura tapped her finger on the table she was sitting at in the Pokemon Center. "I hope Davin's okay... he's been gone for awhile now."  
She thought like that until someone sat in the seat that was opposite of her side and said, "I'm back."

"Davin!" She looked up excitedly, but suddenly gasped when she saw that the boy had a large, red bump on his forehead. "Oh my gosh! What happened?!"

He gave a sheepish smile. "Let's just say I had a little... slip n' fall."

Maura shook her head. "I told you to be careful, didn't I?" She dug into her handbag and pulled out a purple cloth. "Now if only I had some ice to put in it to make the swelling go down..."

"I'll take care of that," Davin said as he pulled a Poke ball out of his backpack. "Kalis, come on out!" With a single throw, his new Ice Pokemon appeared on the table. "Do you mind using your Icy Wind to create ice cubes on this cloth?"

"Sno!" It grinned. Facing the cloth, it released its chilling wind on to it, creating small blocks of ice. Davin wrapped the cloth around them and held it to the bump on his head. "Ahh~. That's a little better." he said.

"So this Snorunt is the Pokemon you caught at Shoal Cave?" Maura asked.

"Yep. And I'm planning on doing my best to make it as strong as it can be."

"Nice. But where'd you come up with the name 'Kalis?'"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like a good name to me." He turned to the Snorunt. "You like it, don't you?"

It smiled and nodded. "Sno~runt!"

Maura chuckled. "Well, as soon as that bump is recovered, we'll head straight for the gym."

"Right! We don't want our badges to wait any longer now, do we?"

"Of course not." she grinned.

After a few minutes, the duo made their way towards the gym and entered it, seeing that the ceiling was decorated like the solar system and the walls had a dark blue color.

"Cool! I've never seen a gym like this before." Davin commented.

"Me neither. It's way more exotic than most gyms I've seen." Maura added.

"Why, thank you..." A voice said.

"...very much." Another voice said.

They both turned to see two blue-haired identical-looking people that wore light blue outfits with red coloring on some parts.

"Welcome to the Mossdeep gym!" They both said together at once.

"I'm Tate!" The boy said.

"I'm Liza!" The girl said.

"We're the gym leaders!"

"What?!" Davin exclaimed. "There are TWO gym leaders?!"

Tate laughed. "You wouldn't be surprised at how many times we've had that reaction from challengers."

"Yeah, you'd think everybody would know that there are two gym leaders here by now." Liza said.

"Huh. You know, now that I think about, those trainers at Lilycove DID mention something about there being two gym leaders." Maura said.

"And you waited until NOW to tell me?!" Davin shouted.

"Well, enough of the chit-chat. Let's get this battle going!" Tate said.

"So, which of you is going first?" Liza asked.

"Uhh..." Davin and Maura stared at each other in confusion. Then, Davin said, "Wait! There are two of you. So does that mean that you fight in double battles?"

"That's right!" They both nodded.

Davin smiled. "Okay, then. How about we make this a tag battle? If we win, you have to give a badge to both of us!"

The twins looked at each other for a moment and nodded. "Sure. I don't see why not." Tate spoke.

"You've got yourself a deal!" Liza said.

"Great!" Davin looked at his partner. "Maura, you ready?"

She nodded. "Let's do it!"

* * *

The challengers stepped on to their side of the battlefield while introducing themselves. The judge explained the rules when she went to the side of the field. "This tag battle between the Gym Leaders, Tate and Liza, and the challengers, Davin and Maura, will now commence. Each trainer may use two Pokemon. The winner is decided when all Pokemon on either side is unable to battle." She crossed her flags. "Begin!"

Tate got the first call. "Claydol, let's go!" A black doll creature with multiple red eyes and yellow beaks levitated on to the field.

"Xatu, come out as well!" A tall green bird with white and red wings appeared on Liza's side of the field.

"Claydol..." Davin opened his red Pokedex.

"And Xatu..." Maura opened her pink Pokedex.

"Claydol, the Clay Doll Pokemon. Claydol is the evolved form of Baltoy. Its arms are separate from its body and are kept float because of its manipulation of psychic power."

"Xatu, the Mystic Pokemon. Xatu is the evolved form of Natu. It has enigmatic power of foreseeing the future. Some people believe it is an emissary from another world."

"Just like you said, Maura. They use Psychic type Pokemon."

"Yeah." She nodded. "But we won't let that stop us!" She threw a Poke ball. "Go, Mightyena!" The ball opened and a big, black and gray dog came out of it.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Mightyena, the Bite Pokemon. Mightyena is the evolved form of Poochyena. When in the wild, Mightyena form packs and can defeat enemies with skilled and coordinated teamwork. It will never defy the orders of a strong leader."

"Your Poochyena evolved! That's great!"

Maura nodded. "I was a bit hesitant at evolving it because I thought it would lose its cute appearance for contests, but in the end, I decided to go for it."

Davin took out his Poke ball. "All right! Kalis, I choose you!" The Snow Hat Pokemon made its battle debut in a flash of white light.

"What are you thinking?! You just caught Kalis! Shouldn't you use a Pokemon that you've already battled with?"

"Don't worry. I've seen what Kalis can do. I'm sure it'll do great."

Maura sighed. "I hope so..."

"Claydol, use Earthquake!" It pointed its arms towards the ground and used its psychic powers to create shockwaves that passed through the ground towards the opponent.

"Dodge! Both of you!" The trainers shouted at once, their Pokemon following commands by jumping in the air.

"Xatu, use Psychic!" The bird's eyes glowed light blue, causing Kalis and Mightyena to glow light blue as well. However, the latter was unaffected by this and landed on the ground on its feet while the former was being levitated.

"Mightyena, use Shadow Ball on Xatu!" A dark sphere formed in the dog's mouth and exploded on Xatu when it was launched, canceling the bird's hold on Kalis and making it fall to the ground.

"Kalis, you okay?" Davin asked. It responded by standing up. "That's good. All right, use Icy Wind!" A sparkling cold wind blew across the field, making the opposing side flinch.

"Mightyena, Sucker Punch!" With dashing speed, Mightyena was able to hit both Claydol and Xatu with swift tackles in the blink of an eye.

"Not bad, but you'll have to do better than that." Tate said. "Claydol, Ancient Power on Mightyena!" A clear white sphere formed in its arms and was thrown towards the designated target.

"Xatu, use Confuse Ray!" Its eyes glowed purple as beams of the same color shot out from its eyes and hit Mightyena, causing it to become confused and having Ancient Power hit it as well.

"Mightyena!" Maura gasped.

"Kalis, use Bite on Xatu!" Its teeth started to glow white as it came towards it.

"Send it back with Psychic!" Claydol's arms glowed light blue and pointed at Kalis, forcing it backwards with its power.

"Oh man. This isn't going to be as easy as I thought." Davin said.

"I told you that you should've used a different Pokemon."

"It's not that!" he argued. "It's their tricky psychic combinations that I'm worried about."

"Xatu, Calm Mind!" The bird Pokemon closed its eyes as a blue aura surrounded its body, increasing its Special attack and defense.

"Mightyena, snap out of it! I need you to use Sucker Punch!" Despite her call, the Dark type Pokemon was still dazed from Xatu's Confuse Ray.

"Stop Xatu with Icy Wind!"

"Claydol, Light Screen!" The black doll shielded its partner and it created a golden box around them that blocked Kalis's attack. "Ha! Now, all of your Special attacks will be blocked for the next few tuns!"

"Dang it!" Davin cursed to himself. "It's like they have a defense for everything we can throw at them."

"Not _everything_!" Maura said as Mightyena's confusion wore off. "Sucker Punch!" Like a jet, Mightyena took off and tackled both of its foes before any of them could move.

"That Sucker Punch is a real pain," Liza said to Tate. "We've got to do something about it."

"But how?" Tate asked. "Since its a Dark-type Pokemon, none of our Psychic moves will have any effect."

Davin thought for a moment. "Well, since Light Screen makes our Special attacks useless, then we'll just have to go Physical! Kalis, use Ice Fang on Xatu!" The Snorunt leaped in the air and came at the bird with its teeth glowing light blue.

Liza grinned. "Still haven't learned, have you? Xatu, use Psychic to send it back!" Its eyes began to glow.

"Believe me, I've _learned_." He grinned as well. "Do it, Maura!"

"Right! Use Sucker Punch on Xatu!" Mightyena canceled Xatu's Psychic with a body blow, leaving it wide open for a frost bite on its head by Kalis.

"Xatu!" Liza shouted.

"Now, Mightyena! End it with Assurance!" It ran towards Xatu with its right front paw glowing purple.

Tate panicked. "Claydol, Earthquake!" The shockwaves were dealt, but Mightyena jumped and smacked Xatu's face with its glowing paw, making it fall to the ground with unconsciousness.

"No, Xatu!" Liza screamed.

"Now, Kalis! Ice Fang on Claydol!"

"Mightyena, Sucker Punch!"

Claydol was rendered immobile from Sucker Punch and Kalis bit down on its head, causing ice to spread. At that moment, Light Screen appeared around Claydol and it shattered to pieces.

"Yes! Light Screen has worn off!" Davin turned to Maura and they both nodded.

"Kalis, use Icy Wind!"

"Mightyena, Shadow Ball!"

The respective attacks were launched together and collided into an explosion upon Claydol, making it fall right next to Xatu, unconscious.

"Claydol and Xatu are both unable to battle! The first battle goes to the challengers!"

"All right!" They both shouted.


	36. Chapter 36 - Day Of Flood, Night Of Fire

"Good work, Claydol." Tate said as he returned it to its Poke ball.

"You too, Xatu." Liza called back her Pokemon as well.

"Well, it looks we're..." Tate started.

"...in a bit of a pickle." Liza finished.

"But..."

"...that doesn't mean..." Both of them took out a Poke ball at the same time and said in unison: "...we're about to give up!"

"Solrock, it's time!" A Pokemon that resembled the sun emerged from Tate's Poke ball.

"Lunatone, let's rise!" A Pokemon that resembled the moon came from Liza's Poke ball.

The challengers looked them up; Davin with Solrock and Maura with Lunatone.

"Solrock, the Meteorite Pokemon. Solar energy is the source of this Pokemon's power. On sunny days, groups of Solrock line up facing the sun and absorb its light."

"Lunatone, the Meteorite Pokemon. It becomes very active on the night of a full moon. It was first discovered 40 years ago at the site of a meteor strike."

"Something tells me that those two have great power when they battle together." Maura said.

Davin nodded. "Let's be careful."

The judge crossed her flags. "Let the second battle begin!"

"Solrock, use Flamethrower on Snorunt!" A stream of flames blew from Solrock's center.

"Dodge it!" Kalis jumped out of the way, just in time.

"Lunatone, Psychic!" Kalis became outlined in the same color as Lunatone's eyes and it was flung into the ground with force.

"Mightyena, use Sucker Punch!" The dog disappeared yet again.

The twins wore a smirk. "Dodge it!"

Both of their Pokemon levitated up and missed Mightyena's strike, causing it to look around to see where they were.

"Flamethrower!" Mightyena was scorched by Solrock's flames from above.

"Kalis, use Ice Fang on Solrock!"

"Lunatone, Hypnosis!" It stared at Kalis and its eyes glowed, making the Ice Pokemon stop in mid-attack and fall asleep on the spot.

"Oh no!" Davin exclaimed.

"Now, Solrock! Flamethrower!" More fire was breathed and Kalis was burned by the intense flames.

"Lunatone, use Psychic!" The moon Pokemon levitated Kalis in the air and shoved it into the wall behind Davin, making it slide down and fall over, unconscious.

"Ah! Kalis!"

"Mightyena, Shadow Ball!" The dark sphere was fired, but the two avoided it by moving aside.

"Solrock, Sunny Day!" The yellow spines on its body glowed white and it fired an orb at the ceiling. Upon contact, the orb exploded into a blindingly bright light. "Solar Beam!" The spine on top of its head glowed and it fired a clear white beam from it. Mightyena was hit by the beam and was knocked into the same wall that Kalis hit and slid down right next to the Snorunt, unconscious.

"Mightyena and Snorunt are unable to battle! The second battle goes to the gym leaders!"

"How you like _that_?" Tate taunted.

"Solrock and Lunatone aren't to be taken lightly." Liza added.

Davin got his Snorunt back inside its ball. "Thanks, Kalis. You were great."

"So were you, Mightyena." Maura said to it after it was already back inside.

Davin faced their opponents. "This is our last shot."

"Yeah. We can't afford to lose now!" Maura said.

Davin's Poke ball went flying. "Ros, let's go!" His Swampert appeared on the field, standing on its hind legs.

"Blaziken, you're on!" Maura's ball opened to let out her red Fire/Fighting machine. Flames burst around its knuckles upon its roar.

"The third and final battle will now begin!" The judge crossed her flags.

"Solrock, Solar Beam on Swampert!" The top spine glowed again and released another beam.

"I knew he'd do that! Ros, use Rest!" It lied on the ground and went to sleep just before the Solar Beam made contact. The next second, it awoke with no damage on its body.

Maura blinked. "What? Wait a minute! I thought Rest was supposed to heal your Pokemon's health _after _it has taken damage."

"Heh. We've discovered a trick that works around that." Davin stated proudly.

"Lunatone, use Psychic on Blaziken!"

"That was predictable, too! Blaziken, Substitute!" An afterimage of itself quickly came out of its body. When Blaziken was outlined by Psychic, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Liza gasped at this just before Blaziken appeared behind Lunatone. "Sky Uppercut!" It brought its fist under Lunatone and brought it back up in a punch to make it hit the ceiling.

"Solrock, use Psychic on Blaziken!"

"No way! Ros, use Water Gun!" A blast of water hit Solrock before it could activate its move.

"Blaziken, use Brave Bird!" It launched itself forward as a blue aura surrounded its body.

"Psychic! Both of you!" They commanded in unison. Both Solrock and Lunatone's eyes glowed and they tried to stop the oncoming attack. Blaziken struggled to keep in control due to the combined psychic force, but failed and was levitated into the ceiling.

"Blaziken!" Maura cried as it fell down to the field.

"Not so confident now, are ya?" Tate mocked.

"This'll be over soon enough, I assure you." Liza added.

"No way we're letting that happen! Ros, use Muddy Water!" A tidal wave of brown water erupted from the ground and went towards the foe.

"Use Light Screen!" A golden box, the same kind that Claydol created, formed around them to block the rushing water.

"Agh! Not again!" Maura shouted.

"Solar Beam, Solrock!"

"Lunatone, Psychic!"

The enemy's respective attacks landed their mark on the targets and the victims were forced into laying on the ground in pain.

"Blaziken, are you alright?" Maura asked with worry in her voice.

"Bla... Blaz..." It gasped, trying to stand up.

Davin shut his eyes and put his fist to his mouth. "_This is bad! This is REALLY bad! Ros's only damaging moves are Special attacks and now that Light Screen is up, there's no way he can land a hit! What are we gonna do?!_"

"Davin, are you okay?" Maura asked, noticing his reaction to all this. He glanced at her from the side of his eye and took his fist from his mouth. "Y-Yeah... I-I'm okay..."

Right then, the bright light produced by Sunny Day had disappeared.

"Uh oh. Guess we better fuel back up. Solrock, Sunny Day!"

"Blaziken, Fire Blast!" Standing on one knee, Blaziken released a ball of fire that quickly went over and hit Solrock before it could make a move.

"Hypnosis, Lunatone!" It locked eyes with Blaziken, eyes glowing, and the Fire Pokemon fell into a deep sleep.

"No! Blaziken!" Maura shouted. "Davin, do something!"

"U-Uhhh..." he stammered.

"Solrock, Sunny Day! Then, use Solar Beam on Swampert!" The commands were followed in exact order, resulting in Ros taking damage from another powerful blast.

"Davin, don't just stand there! Give Ros a command! Hurry!" Maura urged.

"_The Light Screen... Our Special attacks..._" Davin mentally panicked.

"Psychic!" Tate called. The sleeping Blaziken was lifted and was forced into the ceiling again. Unfortunately for the twins, that blow to the head caused Blaziken to awaken.

Maura started to become angry with Davin's sudden behavior. "Fine! I'll handle this myself! Blaziken, Sky Uppercut on Lunatone!"

Liza scoffed. "Give it up! You know that we can just render your moves useless with Psychic!" On cue, Lunatone's eyes glowed.

"Fight it, Blaziken! I know you can!" She encouraged it. The Blaze Pokemon struggled to break free with so little strength left. It was about to give in.

"COME ON, BLAZIKEEEEEEEEEEEEENN!" The pressure was so unbearable that Maura just had to scream it.

Blaziken heard its trainer's cry and tried to break free again. With some effort, Lunatone lost control of Blaziken as it broke free with its arms blazing. It jumped into the air and delivered an uppercut to the moon Pokemon so hard that it hit the ceiling again and when it fell, it just lied there with unconsciousness.

"Lunatone!" Liza shouted.

Tate grunted. "There's no way it can break through it twice! Solrock, use Psychic!" The poor Fire/Fighting Pokemon was under control again by the forces of Psychic.

"Blaziken!" Maura shouted.

All this time, Davin had his head down, not wanting to look at what would happened. Not wanting to do anything because he thought it was useless. He knew they were going to lose. "_And it's all because of Light Screen..._"

As he thought this, he heard a loud crack. He looked up and saw that Light Screen had worn off.

Immediately, he called out, "Ros, Muddy Water!"

The Swampert had lied down to rest, seeing as Davin wasn't doing anything, but as soon as he heard the order, he shot a blast of brown water from his mouth that hit Solrock directly, losing its hold on Blaziken. That, combined with Solrock's tiredness and the usage of all its energy, was enough to make it plummet down to the ground next to Lunatone, unconscious.

"Solrock and Lunatone are unable to battle! With two wins, the victors are the challengers, Davin and Maura!"

Davin put a hand to his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close. But we won!"

"Yeah... _we_ won..." Maura said, feeling angry towards Davin.

"You did great, Solrock. Take a rest." Tate recalled the sun Pokemon.

"Same to you, Lunatone." Liza copied her brother's action with the moon Pokemon.

They both walked towards the victors. "Well, it looks like..." Tate started.

"...you two won." Liza finished.

"So, as proof of..."

"...your victory here..."

They both went into their pockets and pulled out a badge that was shaped that like a heart with two of its sides closing in. They said in unison, "We hereby award each of you the Mind Badge!"

"Thank you very much." Davin took the badge from Tate.

"Yeah, thanks." Maura took the badge from Liza.

Davin did his usual routine when he received a badge and held his new acquirement in the air. "All right! I got the Mind Badge!" He turned towards his friend. "Isn't this great, Maura?"

"Yeah, great." She said in a sarcastic tone as she put the badge in her case and returned Blaziken to its ball. She proceeded to walk out of the gym.

"Hey, wait!" Davin put Ros back in his ball. "Where you going?!"


	37. Chapter 37 - Resolve And Depart

"Maura, hold on!" Davin yelled as he ran out of the gym to catch up with her. "What's wrong?"

Maura stopped walking and turned around to give an angry glare. "I'll tell you what's wrong: You totally left me back there to lose! Why didn't you do anything?!"

Davin looked towards the ground and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just..." He struggled to find the right words. "I have this habit... Sometimes when I feel I'm about to lose, I... sort of go into a depressed state where I'm unable to do anything." he closed his eyes. "I don't mean to do it. It just kicks in... like it's a mental thing..."

Maura's glare softened a bit. "Oh... I see... but even so, that doesn't mean you should give up on your Pokemon like that!"

"But I..."

"No buts! Practically, the number one rule of being a trainer is about caring for your Pokemon. When Ros was almost on his last legs, all you did was give up and didn't care whether it would have lost or not. But when Blaziken was on _his_ last legs, _I_ didn't give up on it; I encouraged it! I gave it the strength to keep going even though it could hardly move!"

"I know, but..."

"Don't you see, Davin? Ros cares about you, and I know you feel the same way about him. So how do you think he felt when you did nothing and just stood there like there was nothing important going on?"

Davin sighed. "I understand what you're saying, Maura, but the only reason I froze like that was because of Lunatone's Light Screen."

"So? What's so bad about it to make you just give up?"

"The moves that Ros has that can deal damage are all Special attacks. When Light Screen was used, Ros was unable to use an attack without it being blocked. That's why I froze; I couldn't do anything to help you."

Maura just stood there with a blank expression. "That's it? It was just because you couldn't use your moves?"

Davin raised his head to look at her. "You say that as if it isn't a big deal." he said, confused.

Maura chuckled. "It isn't. Davin, all that tells you is that you need to work on Ros's move strategy."

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple. Just teach Ros some physical moves that you think will be useful in your battles. Then, if you ever come across an opponent who uses Light Screen, you can still cause damage. Or you can teach Ros non-damaging moves that can still cause damage to your opponent, like Toxic and Swagger."

"Oh!" he said in realization. "Well, if that's all it takes, I think I'll do it!"

"Good. Then you'll have no worries." she smiled.

Davin suddenly frowned. "Maura... I'm really sorry about what happened back there. I didn't mean to leave you by yourself or make you angry."

"I accept your apology. But if we ever participate in a tag battle again and something similar happens, can you try to have more confidence in yourself and not freeze when we're _this_ close to winning?"

He smiled. "I'll do my best!"

"Glad to hear it." she grinned.

* * *

Three minutes later, after healing their Pokemon, they stood on the shore of Mossdeep City.

"So you're heading back to Fortree City?" Davin asked.

Maura nodded. "Yep. I'm going to challenge Winona to a rematch and get my seventh badge. Afterwards, I'll go to Slateport city for the Grand Festival!" She turned to face him. "Why don't you come with me, Davin? It'll be fun to travel together."

Davin shook his head. "Sorry, Maura, but I told you: Unlike you, I only have one goal, and that's to get all eight badges and enter the Hoenn League." he smiled. "Don't get me wrong, it would be fun to go with you, but I have to keep training in order to get stronger."

Maura just grinned. "I understand." She called out her Wailmer and got on its back. "And don't worry. As soon as I get my eighth badge, I'll meet you at the Hoenn League."

"You bet! And if we end up facing each other, don't think I'll go easy on you!"

"Right... Well, I'll see you later!" She gave Wailmer the order and they began to ride off into the sea.

Davin watched them go until they were out of sight. "All right. This is it. It's time for me to step up and become the trainer I _know _I'll be!"


	38. Chapter 38 - Swimming With Edge

"Hmm... the last gym is in Sootopolis City," Davin confirmed while checking his Pokegear map. "And from the looks of it, if we keep going south and make a left at a certain point, we should arrive there in a short amount of time. You heard that, Ros?"

"Swamp!" He nodded as he swam through the ocean water with his trainer on his back. Since Maura left with her Wailmer, Davin decided to use Ros to travel through the ocean.

They continued advancing until someone shouted, "Hey! Wait a second!" making the two turn to their lefts to see a boy wearing a white swimming cap and a set of goggles swimming towards them.

"Hi. Can I help you?" Davin asked politely.

"Have a battle with me!" He shouted. "Your Swampert looks like it's really strong, and you must have other Pokemon that are strong too. I want to battle them to get my Pokemon stronger. What do you say?"

"Sure, let's do it! I'm always ready for a battle. My name's Davin, by the way."

"I'm Keith." He pointed to a small island towards the southwest. "We'll have our battle there."

* * *

After swimming and getting on to their destination, Davin and Keith stood apart from each other to proceed with the battle.

"So what are the rules?" Davin asked.

"3-on-3; substitutions allowed!" Keith stated as he got out a Poke ball.

"I'm starting out with my Swampert. You ready?" Davin asked it.

"Swampeeert!" It shouted as it got on all fours.

"And I'm starting with this one!" Keith's ball was thrown and it opened, letting out a tall blue duck with arms and legs to his side.

"A Golduck! Cool!" Davin said as he got out his Pokedex.

"Golduck, the Duck Pokemon. Golduck is the evolved form of Psyduck. It sometimes joins swimmers, who are competitive, in training. When its forehead shimmers with light, it is using its psychic powers."

"Golduck's my best Pokemon, so I doubt it will lose. Right, Golduck?"

"Golduck!" It responded with a nod.

Davin grinned. "We'll see about that. Ros, use Mud Shot!" On command, Ros shot multiple bullets of mud towards Golduck.

"Golduck, use Confusion!" The duck put two fingers from both of its webbed hands on its head and the red gem on its forehead glowed, causing Ros's Mud Shot to be stopped in mid-air and for it to turn in the other direction and pelt its user. "Now, Zen Headbutt!" The spikes on its head glowed and it came towards Ros, bashing him with its head.

"Ros, use Water Gun!" The blast of water it shot hit its mark, but Golduck had endured the hit as if it were nothing.

"Use Iron Tail!" Golduck ran at Ros with its tail glowing white.

"Wait for it, then catch it when it's about to hit!" Davin commanded. Ros glared at the opponent; when Golduck jumped and swung its tail, Ros immediately used both hands to stop it by holding the Iron Tail in between them. "Toss it!" The Swampert swung Golduck around and launched it in the air. When it fell to the ground, it stood back up with a bit of struggle.

"This isn't over! Golduck, use Hyper Beam!"

"Ros, run straight into it!"

Ros did as told and sprinted towards Golduck as it begun to charge up. When Ros was 2 feet away, Golduck released the Hyper Beam only to have Ros avoid it by jumping to the side.

"Now! Muddy Water!" The brown water escaped through its mouth and Golduck suffered the wet strike. It fell into unconsciousness as it hit the ground.

"Golduck!" Keith cried as he ran over to it and held it in his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Go, Golduck..." It whispered. Keith took out its Poke ball and returned it so that it could rest.

"You did great, Ros. Take a rest." Davin copied Keith's motion with the Poke ball.

"I was right. You _are_ strong!" Keith commented. "But I won't give up. Tentacruel, let's go!" The giant jellyfish Pokemon was sent out in a flash of white light.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Tentacruel, the Jellyfish Pokemon. It lives in complex rock formations on the ocean floor and traps prey using its 80 tentacles. Its red orbs glow when it grows excited or agitated."

Davin sent out his next Pokemon. "Ferro, let's go!" The Lairon appeared from the ball as it opened.

"Tentacruel, use Sludge Bomb!" Multiple globs of sludge were fired from its tentacles, but when they made contact with Ferro, he didn't even flinch.

"What?! How come its not working?" Keith questioned in shock.

Davin grinned smugly. "Lairon is a Steel type Pokemon, which means that Poison type moves are useless against it."

Keith smacked his forehead. "Darn! I forgot about that!"

"Too bad. Ferro, use Iron Head!" Tentacruel was knocked backwards by Ferro bashing into it with its glowing head. "Follow with Headbutt!" More damage was taken by Tentacruel before it had a chance to move.

"Fight back, Tentacruel! Use Water Pulse!" A glowing orb of water formed between its front tentacles and it threw it at Ferro, resulting in super effective damage and Ferro moving back and forth in a dazed fashion.

Davin groaned. "Oh, great. I hate it when this happens." He called back Ferro to his Poke ball and threw a different one in the air, releasing his Vigoroth. "Luck, use Fury Swipes!"

"Vigooor!" He shouted as he ran with his claws outstretched.

"Use Poison Jab!" Tentacruel swung one of its tentacles, which Luck avoided and took the opportunity to rake Tentacruel with his sharp claws. Afterward, Luck suddenly groaned in pain and fell to his knees while gripping his right arm tightly.

"Luck, what's the matter?" His trainer shouted as Luck's body briefly started to glow a shade of purple.

It was Keith's turn to wear a smug grin. "That's Tentacruel's Poison Point. Whenever it suffers physical damage, there's a chance that the Pokemon that attacked it will get poisoned."

***A/N: I know Tentacruel doesn't legally have the Poison Point ability, but I just made this particular one have it to make the battle a bit more interesting.***

Davin panicked. "Oh no. Substituting isn't going to make the poison go away like it did with confusion. What'll I do?"

"Tentacruel, Constrict!" Keith ordered. Tentacruel wrapped its tentacles around its poisoned victim and began to squeeze, making Luck grunt in pain.

"Luck, use your Focus Punch to break free!" Davin called while feeling worry. Luck tried to get its left arm out, but the poison took effect and made it stop. "Oh no..."

"Tighter, Tentacruel! Don't hold back!" The pressure increased as the tentacles tightened; Luck could only scream in pain.

"Come on, Luck! Don't give in! Please!" Davin cried.

"Vi... Vigoor...!" It gasped. It tried desperately to move, but the poison wouldn't allow it. With one last scream, Luck's eyes closed and its head went back. Tentacruel released it and it dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Davin grunted in frustration. "Return, Luck. You did good." He said as it disappeared inside its Poke ball.

"Well, Davin, only one Pokemon left. Feel like giving up?"

"No way! I still have confidence!" Davin called Ferro back out, who had recovered from its temporary status. "Ferro, Stone Edge!"

"Dodge it!" Tentacruel jumped out of the way of the incoming rocks. "Water Pulse!" It shot the orb of water that had formed.

"Not this time. Harden!" A brief light shined across its iron body as it endured the Water type move. "Iron Head!" Tentacruel was hit again by Ferro's glowing head.

"Tentacruel, use Water Pulse once more!" Keith called, but Tentacruel started grunting in pain and it fell over, unconscious. "What?!"

"Looks like Tentacruel has used up all of its energy, especially with how much force it used in its Constrict attack." Davin explained with a grin.

"No way..." Keith stood silent for a moment and he recalled his Tentacruel to its ball. "I forfeit. You win, Davin."

Davin looked stunned. "Forfeit? But why?"

Keith smiled. "You see, just now when Tentacruel lost, I realized that I wasn't thinking clearly about what to do, and if I continue from here, I'll just end up losing because of it and making my Pokemon go through unnecessary pain. That's why from now on, I'll need to do better as a trainer and think before I use my moves and not just depend on my Pokemon's strength alone."

Davin nodded. "Sounds like a good plan."

Keith jumped into the water and started to swim away. "Thanks for battling with me, Davin! You've taught me a lot!" He shouted as he started to fade away from view.

"No problem! Good luck to you, Keith!" Davin shouted and waved goodbye.

He knelt down to Ferro and petted him. "You were awesome, Ferro. I'm really proud of you."

"Lair..." He calmly said.

Davin called out Ros, while he did the opposite with Ferro, and climbed on its back.

"All right, Ros! South towards Sootopolis City!"


	39. Chapter 39 - Origin Of Strength

Davin and Ros had rode through the south and were currently going in the left direction.

Davin put the side of his hand to his head to see what was coming into view. "Yep! There it is: Sootopolis City!" He shouted with joy. "Ros, full speed ahead!"

"Swampert!" Ros nodded and increased his speed upon his trainer's command.

* * *

Later, Davin arrived on the city's shore and recalled Ros to his ball. He then proceeded to go to the Pokemon Center and ask Nurse Joy to heal his Pokemon.

While Davin sat down to wait, he began to think. "_This is it. If I win here, I'll have all the badges I need to compete in the Hoenn League._" He turned his gaze towards the center's doors. "_I __**could**__ ask Nurse Joy what kind of Pokemon the gym leader uses, but I think I'll just wait to see for myself. Which means I need to do some training before I go in there._" He rested his chin on his hand. "_The question is: Where can I find a good place to train?_"

At that moment, Nurse Joy called him over to pick up his Pokemon.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but is there a place around here that's good for Pokemon training?" he asked.

"Of course," she pointed towards the window that was in the east. "Just past that direction, there's a place called the Cave of Origin. Most trainers go there to train when they visit here."

Davin smiled. "Really? That's great! Thank you so much."

"No problem," her smile turned into a frown. "But you must be careful. There's a Pokemon inside there that's extremely dangerous. Try to avoid it at all cost."

The boy nodded. "Got ya."

* * *

After he exited the Pokemon Center, Davin quickly went to the direction he was told to go. Soon, he arrived at the entrance of an enormous looking cave.

"This must be it." Davin took out his Poke balls and let out every single one of his Pokemon. "Okay, guys. We're aiming to win our last badge to enter the Hoenn League, but before we do that, we're going to have to train hard so we can be positive about our victory. You all ready?" They all nodded in unison with determination in their eyes. "Then, let's go!"

They all entered the cave to find that it was slightly dark and that rocks and large boulders made up most of the area. "Remember to keep a sharp eye out for any wild Pokemon." Davin reminded his team. After maybe 7 or 8 steps, they were stopped by a loud screeching sound that made them cover their ears or flinch. "Not _this_ again!" he shouted over the noise.

As he had expected, the screeching came from Golbat. But not just one. A whole colony of Golbat and Zubat flew right above them, looking very angry.

"Looks like we got what we wanted. Everyone, get ready!" Davin said as the Pokemon got into their fighting positions. 5 Golbat swooped down towards them with Wing Attack. "Ros, use Muddy Water!" The said Pokemon raised his arms into the air, a giant tidal wave of brown water along with it. By thrusting his hands forward, the wave crashed down on the attacking Golbat.

2 Zubat and 2 Golbat came at them with Poison Fang.

"Luck, stun them with Uproar!" Davin ordered. The Vigoroth shouted loudly, releasing piercing sound waves that stopped the attacking Pokemon in their tracks.

"Now, Halo! Use Aerial Ace!" Flattening her wings, Halo flew towards the stunned bats and struck them all at once in one glide.

Deciding to take a non-physical approach, 3 Golbat came out from the flock and used Air Slash.

"Halo, use Energy Ball! Kalis, join in with Icy Wind!" The Beautifly fired her green sphere as the Snorunt blew its chilling breeze, both canceling out the oncoming Air Slash.

"Ira, use Aqua Jet! Luck, Fury Swipes!" Engulfing itself in water, the Carvanha shot towards the three and struck them while Luck slashed away like crazy upon there faces.

"Ferro, use Stone Edge on the rest of them!" Sharp rocks formed around the Lairon and they were shot towards the bats, causing super effective damage.

"Yes! You guys are doing great!" Davin cheered. He didn't notice when one of the Zubat fired a Sludge Bomb towards Halo. Almost at the last minute, he cried, "Halo! Watch out!"

"Beau?" Halo turned around and freaked out at the oncoming attack.

"Lair!" Ferro jumped in front of her and took the Sludge Bomb, the attack having no effect due to his type. He then fired another Stone Edge towards the Zubat and Golbat, finally making them go away as they flew off.

Davin grinned. "Wow, Ferro, that was great! You saved Halo from a nasty sneak attack."

"Beauti~fly!" She smiled and thanked him.

"Lair..." To everyone's shock, Ferro started to glow with white light.

Davin gasped with excitement. "It's starting to evolve!" The Lairon began to grow, starting to rise on its hind legs and his physical features changing. The light died and a huge and powerful new Ferro stood in everyone's eyes.

"AGGROOOOOOONN!" It roared, its cry echoing throughout the cave.

"Awesome!" Davin smiled as he looked info up the big creature.

"Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokemon. Aggron is the evolved form of Lairon. It's iron horns grow longer a bit at a time to determine its age. Mementos of its battles are symbolized in the gouges of its armor."

"This is great, Ferro! Your power is now at its highest!" Davin stated.

"Gron." It nodded.

* * *

They ventured further into cave, entering the 2nd floor. Taking a few steps into it, they encountered 4 Sableye.

"All right! Ros, Muddy Water!" The tidal wave of mud rose for the second time, but the Sableye dodged it with ease.

"Sableye!" One of them cried as it fired a Shadow Ball.

"Counter it with Energy Ball!" Halo complied and shot the attack, an explosion occurring upon collision with Shadow Ball. Sableye took this chance and slashed Halo with Shadow Claw.

"Don't take that! Use Gust!" Halo flapped her wings to send Sableye flying into the cave ceiling with a strong gust of wind. Unknown to Halo, two of the Sableye got behind her and were preparing their Shadow balls. "Behind you!"

Halo reacted fast and flew upward to avoid the attacks. Then, Halo's wings started to glow red and a loud siren-like noise came from its antennae, making the two Sableye flinch as they were knocked down towards the ground.

"Hey, that's..." Davin thought. "Halo, did you just use Bug Buzz?"

"Beau~tifly!" She smiled and nodded.

All 4 Sableye came at her with Shadow Claw. "All right! Use Bug Buzz one more time!" The red shock waves escaped from its antennae again to blast them into the cave walls. Afterwards, they fled.

"Excellent, Halo! You did great!" Davin cheered. "Okay. Let's go further. We're bound to find more Pokemon to battle."

As the group progressed through the cave, they failed to hear a low and deep growling sound coming from the ground.


	40. Chapter 40 - A Chance To Steel

"Ferro, use Stone Edge!" Sharp rocks circled around the Aggron's body and were launched at two Golbat, who fled after they were hit. "Stone Edge looks much stronger than it did before. I can't get over how proud I am of you, Ferro!"

"Agg-ron!" It smiled at him.

"All right, let's keep goi-" The trainer was cut off by a magnitude that shook the entire cave floor. "Wh-What's going on?"

Right in front of them, the ground broke apart as something huge made its way to the surface; it had a long body with sharp edges all over it. When the dust cleared, Davin got a good look at the creature as it let out a mighty roar.

"It's a Steelix!" Davin shouted with shock in his voice.

"Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokemon." his Pokedex spoke. "Steelix is the evolved form of Onix. It lives underground even further than its pre-evolved form and it is known to reach six-tenths of a mile when it digs into the earth's surface."

"This must be the Pokemon Nurse Joy warned me about. I've never seen a wild Steelix in Hoenn before."

The Steelix raised its tail as it started to glow and it threw it at them. "Get out of the way!" Davin and the others jumped away from the incoming hit. The trainer stood to his feet. "You're just the kind of Pokemon we need. Guys, give everything you've got! This training will be a lot harder than the other ones." They all nodded as they got up from the ground.

"Ira, start off with Aqua Jet!" The Carvanha launched itself at Steelix while it was coated in water. The giant snake responded by blowing a beam of white air from its mouth that collided with Ira and sent her flying into one of the cave's walls.

"That was a strong Dragon Breath." Davin stated. "Ira, use Swagger!"

It tried, but Steelix came at it with another Iron Tail and knocked it to the other side of cave, making it fall unconscious.

Davin recalled it to its Poke ball and turned his attention to Luck. "Hit it with Focus Punch and dodge the incoming attacks!" The Vigoroth ran towards Steelix on all fours as its right arm began to collect energy. Steelix shot a Hyper Beam, which Luck dodged successfully and the Wild Monkey Pokemon landed a blow right on to Steelix's head. "Way to go, Luck!" But the happiness died when Steelix opened its eyes and released its Dragon Breath, hitting Luck on the spot and making it faint when it hit the ground.

After recalling it, Davin tried a different method. "Let's do a double attack! Kalis, use Icy Wind and Halo, use Bug Buzz!" Both Pokemon used their respective attacks but Steelix brushed them off with minor difficulty. "All right. Let's try Ice Fang!" Kalis jumped forward but was soon knocked back by Iron Tail, falling into unconsciousness.

"Halo, use Stun Spore!" The orange powder was scattered only to have it be destroyed by Dragon Breath, which hit Halo and made it faint right next to Kalis when it fell.

Both were recalled. "Nurse Joy wasn't kidding. This guy's _far_ from being a pushover."

Steelix used Sandstorm, making Davin and the remaining two Pokemon shield their eyes from the chaotic sand hurricane.

"Ferro, use Iron Head to stop Steelix!" He complied and ran at Steelix, hitting it straight in the body with its glowing head and making the Sandstorm disappear. "Great. Now use Headbutt!" Steelix wrapped the tail-end of its body around Ferro and threw him across the cave floor.

"Stone Edge!" Another cancellation occurred when Dragon Breath made contact on Ferro, sending him into unconsciousness. "You did good, Ferro. Return." At those words, the Aggron was absorbed into his ball.

Davin turned to his Swampert. "Ros, it's up to you. Think you can handle it?"

He gave him a thumbs up. "Swam-pert!"

Steelix came with Iron Tail. "Ros, Water Gun!" The blast of water was shot, but it wasn't powerful to stop it. Ros easily evaded the hit by jumping to the side. "Use Mud Shot!" Bullets of mud shot out from its mouth and on to Steelix, dealing super effective damage with it being a Steel type.

"Muddy Water!" The tidal wave made its third appearance and was sent towards the large iron being. Still full of energy, Steelix released a Hyper Beam that destroyed the Muddy Water entirely and hit Ros so hard that he collided with Davin. Both of them fell to the ground.

Davin groaned. "You alright?"

"Swamp." It confirmed as it got off of him.

"What do we do? This Steelix has a lot of power and it's not giving even the slightest hint of it being tired." He looked at his Poké-partner and saw him breathing heavily. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Ros."

While the boy's focus was being distracted, Steelix launched a second Hyper Beam. Without awaiting orders, Ros charged forward in the direction of the attack.

"Ros! What are you doing?!" The Pokemon just kept rushing forward. At what seemed like the last second, Ros jumped up and dodged the Hyper Beam.

Meeting Steelix eye-to-eye in mid-air, Ros's left arm began glowing light blue and smashed it against the Steelix's huge head, making it roar in pain.

"Whoa! Ros, you just used Hammer Arm!" Davin celebrated. "That's so cool!"

Ros landed on the ground as the Steelix began to pant with its eyes closed.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere. Ros, use Muddy Water and put every single ounce of energy you have left into it!" Raising its arms, Ros summoned its move's signature tidal wave, though this one reached all the way to the cave's ceiling unlike the previous ones. Putting everything it had into its arms, it thrusted them forward to send the wave at Steelix at a fastened pace. Steelix attempted to use Hyper Beam but couldn't, due to fatigue, and it suffered the crash of the brown water wave, causing the towering iron snake to plummet to the ground, unconscious.

"ALL RIGHT! ROS, YOU DID IT!" Davin cheered as he jumped in the air and clapped. He ran over to Ros and hugged him from behind. "Simply amazing! I can honestly say that I'm proud to have you as my Pokemon. You're excellent, Ros. Truly excellent!"

"Swampert...!" He smiled with a wide grin and rubbed his head against Davin in affection.

Afterwards, Davin decided to exit the Cave of Origin and go to the Pokemon Center to heal his Pokemon. Since it was getting close to nighttime, he decided to rest at the Center and challenge the gym in the morning.

* * *

The next day, Davin woke up around noon and immediately went to the gym after getting dressed and eating breakfast.

"Here it is... The final gym in Hoenn..." He tightened his hand into a fist. "I'll get that badge, and I'll show 'em what I can do in the Hoenn League!"

Wasting no time, he entered the doors of the gym and saw that the inside had walls of aquamarine and that the battlefield was on a crystal floor. "Hello! I want to challenge the gym leader and get my eighth badge!"

"Your eighth, huh? I'm a bit surprised."

Davin gasped at the voice. From the other side of the field, he recognized the boy with blonde hair that walked towards the other side of the gym.

"**HARO**?!"


	41. Chapter 41 - Vs Haro?

"Haro?! Wh-What are you doing here? Where's the gym leader?" Davin asked with confusion and shock.

A smirk grew on the blonde's face. "You're _looking_ at him."

Davin gasped with utter horror. "WHAT?! No way! All this time, you were a gym leader?!"

Haro shook his head. "You're so dense. If I was a gym leader, why would I spend my time going to different places to collect badges when I've got challengers waiting to battle me?"

Now Davin was _really _lost. "But... you just said..."

Haro put his hand up to silence him. "It's like this: A few days ago, I came here to battle the actual gym leader, Juan, and get my last badge, which I did. After he gave me the badge, he complimented me on my battle skills and said that he had important business to attend to and that he needed someone to fill in as gym leader until he returned."

"At first I declined the offer, but then he mentioned something about him being the former teacher of Wallace, the Hoenn League Champion. As soon as I heard that name, I immediately changed my mind and decided to do it."

Haro tightened his hand into a fist. "As temporary gym leader, I'll _PROVE _that I'm stronger than that jerk!"

Davin tilted his head. "Am I missing something here?"

Haro lowered his fist. "Never mind. You want a battle or what?"

"You bet! For what it's worth, there's no way I'm losing to you this time!" Davin said.

The blonde merely scoffed. "We'll see..."

* * *

"All right, listen up! The judge accompanied Juan for whatever business he had, so the battle will be self-judged. Each of us will use five Pokemon and the battle will be over when all five Pokemon on either side is unable to battle. Plus, only _you_ can make substitutions. Got it?" The unofficial gym leader stated.

Davin nodded from the other side of the battle field. "Yeah."

Haro pulled out a Poke ball. "Then let's get started! Linoone, you're up!" The ball was thrown and Haro's weasel Pokemon appeared as it opened. It stood on its back legs as it tried to give an intimidating glance.

"So, he's starting off with Linoone..." Davin got out his own Poke ball. "I know just the Pokemon. Luck, I choose you!" A single throw of the ball released his Vigoroth. "Luck, time for revenge of your lost on Route 110. Remember? That's the same Linoone that defeated you when you were a Slakoth."

"Vigo?" Luck took a closer look at the Linoone and noticed the familiar boy standing behind it. Memories of the defeat flashed in his head, making him even more determined to win as it yelled, "Vigoroooooooth!"

"That's the spirit! Now... let's start with Focus Punch!" Luck ran over towards the Linoone as his fist started to charge power.

"Just as expected, you always come rushing in. Linoone, use Thunder Wave!" Blue sparks covered its body as it released a blast of electricity. As soon as it hit, Luck stopped running and fell to his knees as the after-sparks appeared on his body. "You see?" Haro spoke as Davin gasped. "Now, Iron Tail!" Linoone's bushy tail glowed white and it hit Luck with it, sending him skidding across the floor.

"Luck, you okay?" Davin asked it. Luck tried to stand, but failed because of the paralysis.

"Water Pulse!" A sphere of water formed in Linoone's paws and a blast of water shot out from it, hitting its mark on the opposing Normal-type.

Luck struggled to get back on his feet until Davin shouted, "Luck, return!" which sent the paralyzed victim back to its ball in a red beam of light. "Sorry, Luck, but revenge will have to wait another time."

"You're so predictable." Haro frowned. "Half the time, I doubt you even think about what to do; like you just improv in every battle you're in."

Davin took out his second Poke ball. "You just be quiet! Now, Ferro, let's go!" The Aggron made its appearance and roared a battle cry. "Let's see you mock _this_! Ferro, use Stone Edge!" Upon hearing that, Ferro created circling rocks around its body and fired them.

"Dodge it!" Swiftly, the Pokemon leapt aside to allow the rocks to hit the ground. "Now, use Iron Tail!"

"Block it with Iron Defense!" Ferro crossed his arms to shield himself and when Linoone made contact, it only hit its arms. Ferro took the advantage and pushed Linoone back with force, sending it skidding back to Haro's side.

"Now, Iron Head!" Lowering its head, the Aggron rushed at Linoone with its head glowing white. Success was made as Ferro bashed Linoone with its cranium.

"Water Pulse, go!" Another blast of water shot out from the aqua sphere as Ferro was hit, though the Pokemon was still able to fight.

"Headbutt!" Ferro retaliated with a normal bash to Linoone's body. That proved too much for the Rushing Pokemon as it fainted after the hit.

"Ha! What do you say to that?" Davin boasted.

Haro recalled Linoone. "I say: You're annoying!" Davin scowled at that as Haro's next Pokemon was about to come out. "Hariyama, let's go!" The fairly large Arm Thrust Pokemon made its appearance upon the opening of the Poke ball.

"Ferro, use Iron Head!"

"Block it with your hands!"

Ferro ran towards Hariyama with its head lowered, which the latter prevented by sticking its hands out and stopping it as told.

"Seismic Toss!" Grabbing hold of Ferro's head, Hariyama jumped into the air and started to spin the Aggron in mid-air. Soon, Hariyama threw it down to the ground, which sent pain to the steel Pokemon's body.

"Can you get up, Ferro?" Davin asked. With little effort, it stood to its feet. "All right, use Stone Edge!" The circling stones were fired at the opponent.

"Focus Blast!" Hariyama put its hands together to form a light blue ball. When it was thrown, the Stone Edge shattered to pieces upon contact and the owner of the Rock-type move was hit in the chest.

"End it with Brine!" The Fighting Pokemon put its hands beside each other and launched a blast of salt water that hit the Aggron's body and made it fall on its back, unconscious.

"Return, Ferro!" The large Pokemon was absorbed by the red beam. "You did great. Take a good rest."

"If that's all you got, I don't see how you're going to make it through this battle." Haro commented.

"What you've seen doesn't come close to what's in store for later! Halo, let's do this!" The Butterfly Pokemon flittered upon her release.

Haro shook his head. "Oh, please. Hariyama, use Focus Blast." The light blue orb was fired on the boy's order.

"Dodge and use Stun Spore!" With a flip, Halo avoided the attack. She flew over Hariyama as she sprinkled the orange dust on it, making it shake. Haro's response was, "Huh?" as he had his eyes closed when he called for Focus Blast.

"Use Gust!" Wind made Hariyama flinch as it came out from the Beautifly's wings.

"There's no way I'm allowing you an advantage. Hariyama, Brine!"

"Use Bug Buzz!" A loud and ear-piercing sound emitted from her antennae as Hariyama cried out at the noise and ceased its Brine move.

"Now, Energy Ball! Then follow after with Gust!" An explosion was made when the Energy Ball connected with Hariyama and the smoke was blown away by the wind from Gust.

"Hariyama, no!" Haro cried.

"Let's wrap up with Bug Buzz!" The loud sound was made again while shock waves came with it. The said shock waves knocked Hariyama off of its feet and it fainted when it hit the ground.

"Nice! Way to go, Halo!" Davin cheered.

"Beau, Beau!" Halo rejoiced.

Haro grunted as he recalled his Pokemon. "So you got lucky... Well, here's where the luck ends. Let's go, Dustox!" Throwing a Poke ball released the Poison Moth Pokemon from it. "You remember Dustox, don't you? I recall that your Beautifly _lost_ to it."

"If you think you can intimidate me with that, you're wrong. Halo has grown much stronger since that time. Right, Halo?"

"Beautifly." she nodded.

"Really? Do _you_ think so, Dustox?" Haro asked with mock in his voice.

"Dus, Dustox." It shook its head while grinning.

"I agree. We'll just see if those words can be backed up. Dustox, use Air Cutter!" 'S' shaped blades of air came flying out of Dustox's flapping wings.

"Dodge it!" Halo ascended further into the air, the blades passing by right under it. "Energy Ball!"

"Dustox, Attract!" By flapping its wings, pink hearts floated towards the target.

"No way we're having a repeat of _that_! Blow them away with Gust!" The hearts burst upon contact with the wind. As an additional effect, Dustox was caught in the Gust and was blown to the ground.

"Now, use Bug Buzz!"

"Dustox, use Psybeam, now!" Lying with its back towards the ground, Dustox fired the multi-colored beam from its eyes. Halo dodged the beams and then released the red shock waves that caused the moth more damage. Haro grunted in frustration.

"Now, Energy Ball!" Halo's proboscis fired the attack once it was formed and Dustox was hit again.

"Come on, Dustox! Get up!" Haro shouted.

"Dus... Dusto..." It struggled to do as told but it ended up going back down to the ground, not to mention into unconsciousness.

"YEAH! What'd I tell ya?" Davin boasted again.

Haro sneered as the Bug/Poison type was recalled. "All right..." He slowly took another Poke ball out.

"**Time to get serious!**"


	42. Chapter 42 - A Heart Loses Sanctuary

Haro tossed a Poke ball. "Raichu, go!"

When the ball opened, a yellowish-brown mouse with yellow cheeks, long ears, and a lightning bolt-shaped tail appeared. Davin analyzed it with his Pokedex.

"Raichu, the Mouse Pokemon. Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu. If it stores too much electricity, its behavior turns aggressive. To avoid this, it occasionally discharges excess energy and calms itself down."

"So, you evolved your Pikachu?" Davin asked with little surprise.

"Of course. When I had it learn all the moves I wanted it to use, I used a Thunderstone to make it more powerful. And now, you're about to get a taste of it! Raichu, get ready!"

"Rai Rai!" It got down on all fours and snarled as electricity crackled across its cheeks.

"Hmm... If I continue with Halo, no doubt it'll lose to Raichu's electric attacks. So in that case..." Davin held up a Poke ball and recalled his Beautifly. "I'll use the next best thing! Ros, it's time to battle!" A single throw of the ball released the Swampert from its confinement.

"I should've known he'd do that!" Haro scolded himself. "Oh, well. Raichu, use Brick Break!" Raichu jumped and dived down towards Ros, pulling back its fist for a punch.

"Ros, block with Hammer Arm!" The Swampert's fist glowed white and it collided with Raichu's. However, Ros got the upper hand and knocked Raichu back to Haro's side.

"Now, Mud Shot!" A blast of mud shot out of its mouth, hitting Raichu in the center of its body.

Haro grunted. "Double Team!" At the call, Raichu stood and made illusionary clones of itself that spread across the battlefield.

"Like that'll help. Use Muddy Water to get rid of them!" The mud tidal wave was summoned and it crashed down on all of them, resulting in the fakes disappearing and the real one getting hit.

"Raichu!" Haro cried.

"All right! Mud Shot, one more time!" The mud was fired again and Raichu took the hit, causing it to faint when it fell.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Haro screamed in anger. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Davin was taken aback by this. "What's with him? He never freaked out like that when his Pokemon fainted before."

Haro recalled Raichu. "I refuse to lose! Not here, NOT EVER! Vulpix, let's go!" The cute Fox Pokemon materialized on to the field. "Use Flamethrower, NOW!" A stream of flames shot towards Ros.

"Muddy Water!" The second mud tidal wave destroyed Flamethrower upon contact and Vulpix was soaked by it, causing it to faint immediately.

"ALL RIGHT! I DID IT! I WON!" Davin cheered. "Ros, you did great!"

"Swampert!" Ros smiled at Davin.

Haro was speechless; he tried to speak, but he couldn't get the words out. He dropped his head and recalled his fallen Pokemon.

"This... is... not... RIIIIIIIGHT!" He suddenly ran across the battlefield and past Davin towards the door.

"Haro, wait!' Davin turned around and called after him. Haro stopped on his command, then he turned around and threw something at him. Davin caught it and opened his palm to see a small object that was shaped like three raindrops formed together into a triangle.

"Take your stupid badge! I don't even care anymore!" He opened the door and slammed it as he rushed out.

"What _is up_ with him?" Davin asked as he took a few steps forward.

Right then, he looked at the ground and noticed that there was something wet on the floor. He kneeled down and dipped his finger into it to hold it to his face. "Where'd this water come from? It was right where Haro was standing a few seconds ag-" Davin gasped with wide eyes when he realized what the water was: Haro was crying and the water was his tears.

"Oh my... Haro? No way..." Davin turned to his Swampert. "Ros, we need to hurry and catch Haro! Something has got to be wrong with him."

"Swamp!" It nodded as it followed Davin out the door.

* * *

"Haro! Where are you?!" Davin shouted in a vacant part of town.

"Swamp! Swampert!" Ros shouted along with him.

Davin looked around for a few seconds and sighed. "I can't find him anywhere. I guess we'll just have to go to the Pokemon Center for the time being and heal everyone."

"Swamp..." Ros lowered his head in disappointment.

Davin and Ros arrived at the designated location soon afterward. "I hope I can find where he is..." Davin sighed.

As if his wish came true, the automatic doors to the Pokemon Center opened and Haro exited through them with his head down.

"Haro!" Davin shouted. As soon he looked up, Haro took off running to the east. "Haro, wait!"

"Leave me alone!" He shouted as he ran. Davin and Ros followed his trail as they tried to catch up with him.

* * *

A while later, they continued running, which led them to a grassy mountainside coast near the ocean.

"Haro! Stop! I just want to talk!"

"I told you to go away!" he shouted.

"Come on!"

"Go awa-" As he said that, he tripped on a rock and landed on his face in the grass. He slowly started to rise as Davin and Ros caught up to him, the former offering a hand. "Haro, please..."

"GO AWAY!" He tried to run, but Davin grabbed his arm so that he couldn't. "Let go!"

"Not until you tell me what's making you act like this! This isn't like you; what's your problem?"

Haro tried to struggle free as he spoke. "You're the one with the problem! You always win when I expect you to lose! Your cockiness and happy attitude has driven me over the edge!"

"Stop trying to hide the truth! There's something going on with you and I want to know!"

"No, there isn't!"

"Yes, there is!"

"No, there ISN'T!"

"Yes, there IS!"

"NO, THERE ISN'T!"

"YES, THERE IS AND YOU AND I BOTH KNOW IT!"

"SHUT UP, YOU FREAKIN' MOROOOOOOOO-"

That did it. At that moment, Haro received a slap to his face before he could finish. He fell to the ground with Davin's slap visible on his left cheek.

"Listen to me! I don't know what's going on with you, but I do know that this isn't the way to solve it! Haro, you're a great trainer. I mean you've beaten me like 3 times already, so how come this battle was so important to you? Obviously, there's something wrong because this isn't the Haro I've come to know." Haro just lied there with his mouth open, his eyes not focused on Davin.

"Haro..." Davin knelt down to him. "I know you hate me, but deny it or not, you need help and I'm the only one who's willing to help you. It's clear that you've been keeping this to yourself for a long time, so why not just get it off your chest?" Haro turned his eyes toward Davin as he offered his hand again.

"Haro, please... Tell me what's bothering you... I may not be the one who you want help from, but you've got to take a risk and sometimes confide in someone you dislike rather than someone you like. Come on, Haro... It's better to have friends than enemies... You can trust me."

Haro stared at Davin for quite awhile.

He then spoke softly, "Will you... listen...?"

Davin nodded. "I will. Please..."

Haro stared for a few more seconds and took Davin's head. "Alright... I'll tell you..."


	43. Chapter 43 - The Heart's Cry

Davin and Haro sat on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the ocean while Ros was taking nap far behind them.

"I guess I should start from the beginning." Haro spoke calmly. "It was about 2 years ago. I had turned 10 years old and I wanted to go on my Pokemon journey. Unfortunately, we were very poor then, so I couldn't get an official starter Pokemon. But, one day, I found a Poke ball that was washed up on the shore of Lilycove and I decided to use it to catch a Pokemon in Route 121."

**Flashback: 2 years ago**

_A young Haro was walking through the field looking for a Pokemon, but he couldn't get a glimpse of anything._

_"Aw, man. I can't find anything in this area. Usually, there would be a bunch of Pokemon 'round here, so why aren't there now?"_

_Just then, he heard something growling in the near distance. "Wh-What was that?" He shifted his head from left to right but he couldn't see anything. "Maybe it's just my imagination." He was soon proven wrong as a big, black dog jumped out of the nearby bushes and attempted to scratch him; it would've succeeded if Haro didn't turn around and leap to the side._

_"A Mightyena..." he said with fear in his voice. The canine crept closer to him as it snarled with rage. "S-Sorry I came into your territory. I didn't know you were living here, honestly."_

_The Mightyena ignored his apology and jumped at him, Haro shielding himself with his arms while screaming, "HELLLLLLLLLP!"_

_To his fortune, something out of nowhere tackled the Mightyena to the ground. Haro glanced and saw a bushy raccoon standing in front of him. "A Zigzagoon!"_

_The Mightyena became really angry and fired a Shadow Ball at it, but Zigzagoon dodged and released an orb of water from its mouth that drenched the Mightyena and made it run away in fright._

_"You... saved me..." Haro said as he looked at it._

_"Zig! Zigzagoon!" It smiled at him. Haro knelt down to it and hesitantly petted it, making it jump on to his knees and nuzzle him affectionately._

_Haro chuckled. "You're really nice." Then he remembered why he was out here in the first place. "Hey, Zigzagoon. Do you want to be my Pokemon? You'll be my first Pokemon ever and I promise to take care of you and make you the happiest that I can." He took the slightly dirty Poke ball from his pocket and held it in front of him._

_"Zig..." It thought for a moment. Then, with a happy, "Zigzagoon!" it touched its nose to the button and the Poke ball absorbed it. The button blinked with red three times before it stopped completely._

_Haro stood up and stared at the Poke ball. "You and I will be great together... I just know it."_

-  
**End Flashback**

"Wow. It's hard to believe you were poor at the time, but I'm glad to hear how you got your first Pokemon." A thought came across Davin at that moment. "Wait. You said that you got a Zigzagoon as your first Pokemon, right? So, does that mean your Linoone is..."

"Yep." Haro took out a Poke ball and opened it, letting out the Linoone in question. "This Linoone's my first Pokemon, and the one who saved me from the Mightyena attack." He petted the Pokemon's head. "Thanks again for that, buddy."

"Lin." It smiled at him.

Davin thought for second. "Not to be rude, Haro, but Linoone doesn't seem as strong as your other Pokemon like Meganium. Is there a reason for that?"

Haro closed his eyes. "Back then, I didn't have a clue about how to train Pokemon, so I used large objects I could find so that Zigzagoon could practice its attacks. As a result, it didn't get the proper training it needed because the large objects were like only 50 or 60 inches big." He opened his eyes. "That's when I asked other trainer's for advice and learned about Pokemon battling; I used Zigzagoon in a few, but it lost all of them. At that point, I decided to catch different Pokemon and they turned out to be stronger _and_ have better moves than Zigzagoon."

"Li..." Linoone lowered its head sadly.

Haro petted it again. "Sorry. It was only at that time. I don't think that about you now." That made it cheer up a bit.

"Anyway, I decided to stop training Zigzagoon for awhile and focus on the other Pokemon I caught. To my surprise, it worked out well." Haro turned to his Pokemon. "After a few months, I decided to train it again and it evolved into Linoone. That was good because its power increased and it could defeat opponents more easily. And that made me really happy."

Davin scratched his head. "That's great and all, but wasn't the point of talking to find out why you were acting crazy?"

Haro grinned (A happy grin, not the malicious grin he usually wore). "Okay. I didn't want to start my journey in Hoenn, so I went to the Varex region. I got all eight badges and entered the league..." He frowned. "Which is when I faced _him_..."

**Flashback: 2 years ago; Varex league**

_"Linoone, use Fury Swipes!" Haro ordered. It rushed towards its opponent, a Dragonite, with its claws glowing white. The Dragonite intercepted the attack and knocked it back to Haro's side of the battlefield._

_"And Linoone's Fury Swipes backfires!" The announcer stated. "It looks like Ledo is getting the upper hand on his opponent!"_

_"Ledo was my rival during that time. Throughout our travels, we would come across each other to battle, and every time I lost, he'd cruelly criticize my battling."_

_"Ha Ha Ha Ha! What's the matter, Haro? You too scared to give everything you got?" The purple haired boy wearing a red t-shirt, orange pants, and black shoes taunted._

_Haro sneered. "This isn't over yet! Linoone, Water Pulse!"_

_Ledo scoffed and said with little emotion, "Dragonite, use Giga Impact."_

_Dragonite dodged the Water Pulse by flying in the air and dove down as an orange and purple aura spiraled around its body._

_"Dodge, Linoone!" But it was too late. Linoone was struck by the powerful attack and it fainted, much to the trainer's dismay._

_"Linoone is unable to battle! Dragonite wins! The victor of the battle is Ledo from Priheart City!" The judge called. The crowd cheered for the victor as he blew kisses towards them._

_Haro kneeled down to Linoone and picked him up. "You okay, buddy?"_

_"Linoo..." It said, weakly._

_"How pathetic." Ledo said as he walked over to them. "Since you were able to get eight badges, I thought you would be able to give me a challenge. Apparently, that was giving you too much credit."_

_"Just shut up, Ledo!" Haro avoided his gaze._

_"Look at you, Haro. You're just a weak wannabe trainer from the Hoenn region. The only reason you lost is because you're not a true resident of the Varex region like I am."_

_"That's not true!"_

_"Yeah, it is. Since you're from a different region, you're not familiar with our customs. You just do what you feel like and don't think about what you're doing. If anyone from Hoenn is like you, I'd say Hoenn is place for worthless trash who will soon die because of their lack of thinking!"_

_Haro growled. "TAKE THAT BACK!" He tackled Ledo to the ground and started to punch him and kick him in anyplace he could. The league officials got Haro off of him and told him to get out and that he was banned from ever entering the Varex League again._

-  
**End Flashback**

Davin frowned. "Oh, Haro... That must've felt awful..."

"It was." he closed his eyes again. "Since that time, I started thinking about Ledo's words and, through some crazy way, I decided that he was right. That your strength comes from the region you were born in. And since then, any trainer that came from a different region, I would challenge and I would always win, which I thought proved that Ledo's theory was correct."

Haro sighed. "Since then, I developed a cruel persona; someone that I didn't know even existed until now. That lost to Ledo really effected me and... my feelings toward Pokemon and being a trainer have been messed up..." His voice began to break as he started to choke up. "I really love Pokemon... I do... but I... I'm just confused about what I should do... I'm not as mean and cruel as I seem... I'm really a good guy... but ever since that lost to Ledo, my life... my life..." He began to sob. "My life has been a living hell!"

Tears were running down his face as he softly sobbed. Davin pulled Haro into a hug and stroked the top of his back while Linoone rubbed his paw against the lower part of his back.

"Don't cry, Haro..." Davin softly said. "Don't listen to Ledo. If anyone's worthless trash that'll die, it's him. Don't follow his example; follow your own. It's your life and you choose how to live it. Don't let anyone else choose for you."

Haro sniffed. "I know that now... thanks to you..." he slowly returned the hug as Davin began to rock him back and forth.


	44. Chapter 44 - Parting On Sweet Terms

The sun was about to set on the cliff that overlooked the ocean. It had been 5 hours since Davin and Haro's talk and, through the emotion and tears, they had both fallen asleep in each other's arms while lying on the grass.

Davin was the first to wake up as he sat up and yawned. "Haro, wake up." he said as he gently shook him awake.

Haro slowly opened his eyes and yawned as he sat up. "How long have we been asleep?"

"Apparently, a long time. The sun's about to go down." he said as he pointed to the orange-red sky.

"Well, I suppose we should get going." Haro took out a Poke ball and returned his sleeping Linoone. Davin copied him and returned his snoozing Swampert. "See you around, Davin." Haro was about to leave until Davin stopped him by grabbing his arm. He turned to face him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Davin looked sort of nervous. "Haro... are you and I... friends now?"

The blonde blankly stared at him until he gave him a smile. "Yeah... I guess we are."

Davin smiled widely, his eyes sparkling with joy at hearing those words from the boy whom he had disliked. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the gym badge that he gave—or threw—at him. "Thanks again for the, uh... what's the badge called again?"

Haro chuckled. "It's called the Rain Badge." He dug into his pocket and pulled out his own. "Now that we both have it, we can enter the Hoenn League."

Davin nodded. "Yeah. And don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because we're friendly rivals now."

"That goes double for me." Haro started walking again, with Davin behind him because there was only one way back to the city.

* * *

The next day, Davin got a ticket to ride a ferry that was going to Slateport City; he had decided to go there so he could give Maura his support in the Grand Festival.

When he entered the contest hall, he saw that a bunch of people were gathered in the lobby and noticed a sign that read, "Semi-finals commencing — Visitors are unauthorized to meet with the coordinators."

"Aw, that's too bad." Davin sighed. He noticed that a bunch of people were using berry blenders, which got him an idea. "While I'm waiting, I might as well make some Pokeblock."

He walked over to an unoccupied blender and began cutting up berries that he had picked from the various routes he had crossed. He had remembered what kind of Pokeblock his Pokemon had preferred and placed the specific berries inside.

After waiting a few minutes, the Pokeblocks spilled out of the slot and Davin let out his team. "Who's ready to eat some Pokeblock?"  
Ros, Halo, Luck, and Ferro cheered while Ira and Kalis tilted their heads.

After Davin gave the first four their snacks, he placed a bowl of blue Pokeblock in front of Ira and a bowl of yellow Pokeblock in front of Kalis. "Go ahead. Taste it."

"Car?" Ira slowly took one in its mouth and began chewing. Soon, it was happily eating the rest of it.

"Sno..." Kalis was a bit hesitant at trying it, but it ate it. It's reaction was the same as Ira's and it began to eat with a smile.

Davin smiled. "I knew you'd like it. Since Ira has a Rash nature, I'd figure she would like dry Pokeblock, and since Kalis has a Bold nature, I gave him sour Pokeblock."

Just then, the door that led to the coordinators' room opened and Davin saw the ones who had just participated come out. Through those people, he saw the particular brunette that he had come for.

"Hey, Maura! Over here!" He shouted and waved to her.

The girl turned her head and immediately ran over to him. "Hi, Davin! What are you doing here?"

"To support you, of course. I already got my eighth badge so I decided to come and see how you were doing."

"That's great!" She pulled out her badge case and opened it, pointing to a specific one that was shaped like a feather. "Check it out. I beat Winona and got the Feather Badge!"

"All right! Only one more to go for you!" Davin cheered. "Ooh! And guess what? You know how me and Haro have been enemies?"

"Yeah, but what do you mean 'have been?'"

Davin grinned. "We're friends now! We talked things over and now we're buddies! Isn't that great?"

"You're kidding! I'm happy for you two!" she smiled. Just then, she frowned and looked away from him. "Davin... can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you please... leave?"

"Huh?"

Maura looked at him. "Don't take this the wrong way, Davin, but I really need to concentrate. I can't have anyone distracting me from my goal."

"What do you mean by 'distracting?'"

She looked away again, blushing. "N-Nothing. It's just... the Hoenn League starts in a month and I know it's your goal to win, so I just... don't want you to miss out on any of the training you're planning to do..."

Davin thought about that for a moment and came to a conclusion. "You're right. I do need to start training. And once you're finished with the Grand Festival, you need to work on getting your eighth badge so we can see each other in the Hoenn League." He recalled all of his Pokemon to their balls. "Good luck, Maura. I'll be cheering for you." With that, he exited the contest hall.

Maura smiled as she saw him walk away. "Good luck to you, too, Davin. I can't wait until we meet ay the league." She started to walk outside to practice for the final round.


	45. Chapter 45 - The League Commences

"This is it... Ever Grande City, the home of the Hoenn League..." Davin was getting excited as he was getting closer to the huge city on the ferry he stood on.

A whole month had passed and Davin had trained hard so that his Pokemon could be the best that they could be for the tournament. The young boy was determined to take the title of champion and make up for his lost at the Varex League. "This time... I'll win it for sure!"

* * *

When the ferry arrived to its destination, Davin immediately headed for the main lobby, where he showed Nurse Joy his eight badges and handed her his Pokedex for registration. After that, she gave him a guide of the Hoenn League rules and told him about which room he would stay in.

When he got to his room, he immediately plopped on to the bed and enjoyed the nice feeling of the fresh covers. Then, he walked out on to the patio and looked across the wide view of the area.

"This is so great! I can't believe I'm finally here."

* * *

A few hours later, he headed down to the lobby and began reading the guidebook as he sat on one of the provided couches.

"Okay. The preliminary rounds are 1-on-1 battles and the winner will move on to the next round. The qualifying rounds will consist of three double battles and if the first two are won, that trainer will move on. The final rounds will be full battles with the top 32 participants and winning twice will bring you to the quarterfinals. From there, the top 8 will do battle, reducing it to the top 4, and then to the top 2, where the champion will be decided." Davin sighed. "Sounds pretty intense."

Right then, he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled when he saw who it was. "Maura! You made it!"

"You didn't think I'd go back on our promise, did you?" she chuckled.

"Of course not. It's just that I haven't seen you in awhile and I thought you had something better planned."

"As if. I wouldn't give up the league for anything."

They started to chat some more until a familiar face entered through the automatic doors. Davin smiled as he ran up to him. "Haro! Good to see you!"

The blonde smiled and nodded. "Same here."

"Wow. You weren't kidding, you really _are_ friends," Maura said as she went to Davin's side. "I'm glad to see that you and Davin's rivalry has settled."

"Yeah." Haro suddenly frowned. "Hey, listen. I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot when we first met. I'm sorry that I insulted you at that time and... I hope you and I can be friends, too." He stuck out his hand towards her.

Maura was a bit surprised by his action but she gladly shook his hand and said, "I'd love to be your friend, Haro. And don't worry about what happened in Lilycove; it's all in the past."

"Good." he smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go register." he calmly walked past them.

The next second, Maura whispered to Davin, "What'd you do to him? He's a completely different person now. Did you drug him or something?"

Davin laughed. "No. He had a lot on his mind and he just needed someone who would listen to and understand him." he looked at Haro as he was just getting his badges back from Nurse Joy. "He's a really nice guy once you get to know him."

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the Hoenn league Ever Grande Conference!" The announcer stated the next day. "Trainers near and far have come to participate in this tournament of battles, where one will become the champion. What kind of battles will these excellent trainers show us?"

As the announcer continued, the participants were gathered in the trainers' waiting room, looking at the big screen that was provided. Davin, Haro, and Maura were sitting next to each other as they listened.

"Well, here we are... in the Hoenn League tournament..." Davin stated.

"Yep. It should be a good one." Haro confirmed.

"Everything will be great as long as we do our best." Maura added.

The announcer finished his introduction and stated, "Now, without further ado, let the preliminary rounds begin!"


	46. Chapter 46 - Rocking The Preliminaries

After the first few trainers battled, it was Haro's turn to go up against a guy named Theron. Both of them entered the arena with confidence.

"1-on-1! Start!" The judge stated.

Theron was first. "Go, Shiftry!" The ball was thrown, releasing a brown creature with white hair covering its face and leaves for hands.

"Vulpix, let's go!" The fire fox Pokemon materialized on to the battlefield.

"Shiftry, use Rock Slide!" It waved its leaf-hands back and forth to release rocks at Vulpix.

"Dodge and use Flamethrower!" With a single jump, the rocks were avoided and Vulpix breathed a blast of fire that scorched the Grass/Dark type.

"Use Leaf Storm!" Shiftry's hands glowed as leaves surrounded its body and were fired towards the opponent.

"Destroy it with Fire Spin, then use Dig!" A spiraling flame was released from its mouth that separated the leaves from each other as they were burned. Afterwards, Vulpix burrowed into the ground.

"Stay focused, Shiftry. Try to find where it'll come up." Theron ordered as Shiftry looked around. When least expected, Vulpix shot up from the ground behind Shiftry and, with Haro's command, used Flamethrower on it.

"Now that it's weakened, use Dark Pulse!" Dark circles hit Shiftry from Vulpix's mouth and the Grass Pokemon fainted to the ground.

"Shiftry is unable to battle! Vulpix wins and Haro advances to the next round!"

The crowd cheered for him as Haro knelt down and praised Vulpix by petting its head. "Good job, Vulpix. You did great."

"Vulpix, Vul." It smiled at him.

* * *

Few more battles later, Maura was up against a guy named Yardley.

"Weezing, let's go!" A floating Pokemon in the form of two heads, one bigger than the other, appeared on Yardley's side.

"Come on out, Crawdaunt!" Maura's Water/Dark type Pokemon appeared on her side.

"1-on-1! Start!"

"Weezing, Smokescreen!" Thick, black smoke covered the field as Crawdaunt's vision was blinded.

"Protect, Crawdaunt!" It crossed its pincers in front of itself as a green forcefield covered its body. When Weezing came in with Tackle, it was bounced off as soon as it made contact.

"Crab Hammer!" Weezing was struck by one of the lobster's glowing pincers. "Now, Night Slash!"

"Thunderbolt!" Electricity painfully ran through Crawdaunt's body as it came from Weezing's. Maura gasped as Yardley ordered a Double Hit, which made Weezing come at the stunned Pokemon with its body glowing slightly.

"Guillotine!" When Weezing was 3 feet away, Crawdaunt quickly launched itself at it and grasped both of the heads with its claws. When it let go, the Poison type fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Weezing is unable to battle! Crawdaunt wins and Maura advances to the next round!"

The crowd cheered once again as Maura embraced her Pokemon. "Good job, Crawdaunt!"

"Craw, Craw!" It smiled at her.

* * *

Davin's turn was next and he was up against a girl named Paula.

"All right, Luck, let's go!" Davin's Vigoroth appeared on the field as it howled with determination.

"Heracross, go!" A bipedal, dark blue beetle with the top of its horn shaped like a heart materialized on Paula's side.

"That's weird. I've never seen a Heracross with a horn like that." Davin checked his Pokedex for details.

"Heracross, the Single Horn Pokemon. A Heracross's gender can be told by the shape of its horn. When its horn is regular shaped, it is male. (The image changes to a Heracross that looks like Paula's) When its horn is heart-shaped, it is female."

"So her Heracross is a girl..." Davin confirmed himself.

"1-on-1! Start!"

"Heracross, use Brick Break!" It flew into the air and dived down as its hand was turned sideways like it was getting ready to do a karate chop.

"Match it with Focus Punch!" Luck turned his hand into a fist and punched Heracross's attacking hand. Both of them struggled to push each other back but Luck overpowered the female and sent her skidding across the field.

"Use Focus Blast!" Heracross formed a light blue sphere in her hands and she threw it across the field.

"Dodge and use Fury Swipes!" The Focus Blast passed by Luck's side as he evaded it and he ran at Heracross with his claws outstretched for attack.

Paula smirked. "Attract!" Heracross winked and hearts were shot out. When the hearts disappeared upon contact with Luck, the Vigoroth had hearts in his eyes as he began to stare at her with admiration.

"Oh, come on!" Davin groaned as he smacked his forehead.

"Brick Break!" Heracross landed a karate chop on Luck's head and, with Paula's orders, hit him with Focus Blast, which sent him skidding across the field. With the hearts in his eyes, it looked like the Vigoroth was enjoying the pain.

"Luck, get up! Try to use Focus Punch!" Davin ordered. It stood up, but it wasn't able to do the commanded attack. "This is not good. Since it's one on one, I can't get Luck back in his Poke ball or else I'll be disqualified. What am I going to do?"

"Heracross, let's finish this with Mega Horn!" She flew at the lovestruck Vigoroth with her heart-shaped horn glowing white.

"Come on, Luck! You've got to dodge!" Davin cried out to him. His attempt to reach him failed and he was struck by the glowing horn. Despite that, the Vigoroth got up and was still under Heracross's Attract.

Davin shook his head. "This is just great. Luck can't get out of Attract's effect and it can't use any of its moves." he sighed. "Guess it's all over for me..."

"Ok, Heracross, Brick Break!" Heracross flew over and delivered another karate chop to Luck's head. At that moment, Luck's body began to glow with white light, making Heracross jump back and return to her trainer's side. "What's going on?"

Davin could only stare in awe as his Vigoroth began to grow larger and its features began to change. When the light faded, a huge brown gorilla Pokemon stood in Vigoroth's place.

"SLAKI~NG!" It roared with its arms in the air.

"Awesome! Luck evolved into Slaking!" Davin rejoiced as he took out his Pokedex.

"Slaking, the Lazy Pokemon. Slaking is the evolved form of Vigoroth. Despite its laziness, Slaking can unleash a strong amount of power that it saves up when it lounges. When in an area where it has eaten all the grass it can reach, it moves to another location."

"And since it evolved, the Attract has worn off! This couldn't be better!"

Paula wasn't about to let that happen. "Heracross, use Attract!" The hearts were released again when Heracross winked.

"Luck, use Protect!" The Slaking crossed its arms in front of it as the green forcefield appeared and blocked the hearts.

"Slaking has the ability Truant, so it can't attack this time! Heracross, Attract!" More hearts flew out, but Luck went to the ground to rest, causing the hearts to pass by him. "What?!"

"Thought you had us there, didn't you?" Davin taunted. "Luck, let's finish them off with your new Thunder attack!" Still on the ground in his lazing position, Luck stuck his hand out and released a blast of electricity out of it that electrocuted Heracross. It was so powerful that Heracross fainted as soon as the attack was done.

"Heracross is unable to battle! Slaking wins and Davin advances to the next round!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Davin went over to Luck and hugged the large Pokemon around his head. "Good going, Luck! I had my doubts, but you pulled through for me. Thank you so much!"

"Slak, Slaking." It smiled at him.


	47. Chapter 47 - The Guy With A Power Plant

"Wow, Davin, you did great!" Maura congratulated him when he returned from the arena. "I never would've expected your Vigoroth to evolve when it did."

"That makes two of us. If it hadn't, though, I'd probably be on my way home right now." Davin admitted. "What do you think, Haro?"

Haro was too focused on the screen to listen. Davin and Maura went beside him to see what was up and they saw a guy with short, spiky dark-brown hair wearing a dark-blue jacket over a yellow shirt, along with green pants, black shoes, and a headband that had a white Poké ball on a black background getting ready to face his opponent.

"The final preliminary round will be Edric from Cerulean City against Lyle from Fallarbor Town!" The announcer stated.

"I've heard rumors about that guy, Edric." Haro referenced to the brown, spiky haired boy. "He's supposed to be a tough trainer and they say he almost never loses a battle."

"Really?" Davin curiously asked. "He sounds interesting."

The judge stated the rules. "1-on-1! Start!"

"Cacturne, let's go!" Lyle released a tall green scarecrow Pokemon with spikes on almost every part of its body.

Edric grinned. "Venusaur, let's do it!" The Poke ball he threw opened and a big, light-blue creature with a huge flower on its back appeared on the battlefield.

"Venusa~ur!" It shouted.

"So he's using a Grass type against another Grass type." Haro stated. Davin and Maura looked up the Pokemon on their Pokedexes.

Maura's Pokedex  
"Cacturne, the Scarecrow Pokémon. Cacturne is the evolved form of Cacnea. After spending thousands of years in harsh deserts, its blood transformed into the same substances as sand. It is nocturnal, so it hunts at night."

Davin's Pokedex  
"Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon. Venusaur is the final evolution of Bulbasaur. Its flower is said to take on vivid colors if it gets plenty of nutrition and sunlight. The flower's aroma soothes the emotions of people."

Davin thought for a moment. "The final evolution of Bulbasaur... That's one of the Kanto starter Pokemon, right?"

"Yeah." Haro nodded. "It's clear that that Venusaur is his first Pokemon."

Back in the arena, the battle had started.

"Cacturne, use Pin Missile!" It held its arms out in front of itself and released a series of needles from the spikes.

"Venusaur, Vine Whip!" Long vines came out of the sides of its flower as it used them to swat away the attack. The vines then constricted Cacturne as it was lifted into the air. "Solar Beam!" Sunlight was quickly absorbed by Venusaur's flower and it shot a white beam from it that hit the trapped Cacturne. When it was let go, the half Dark type had fainted.

"Cacturne is unable to battle! Venusaur wins and Edric advances to the next round!"

"Amazing!" Davin gasped.

"He took it down in only one hit!" Maura added.

Haro simply stared with an emotionless expression. "_This guy... He'll be an interesting opponent to go up against._"

On the arena's screen, the trainers who had won their battles were displayed. "Tomorrow, these participants who have made it will be entering the qualifying rounds. In those rounds, all battles will be fought in double battles."

* * *

After the preliminaries ended, Davin rushed out of the trainers' room to try and find Edric. Luckily, he spotted him at the front counter getting his Poke balls from Nurse Joy.

"Hey, Edric!" Davin called as he ran over to him.

"Yo, what's up?" He greeted with his hand.

"My name's Davin and I'm from Blazehill Town. I just wanted to say that your Venusaur was awesome in your battle today."

"Thanks. Venusaur and I have been together for a long time, so there's no surprise at how strong it is."

Right then, Maura came running up to them, saying to Davin, "What's the hurry? Why'd you run out so fast?" Haro joined them after she finished her questions.

Davin gestured to the strong trainer. "I just wanted to meet with Edric. I still can't get over how strong his Venusaur was." He faced Edric. "These are my friends, Maura and Haro."

"Nice to meet both of you." All three of them shook hands. "So, I suppose I'll be seeing you guys later in the tournament?"

"You bet!" Davin nodded. "We've all trained our hardest for this moment and we're not planning on losing anytime soon!"

"That's what I like to hear." Edric nodded. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got things do. See ya later." With that, he walked past them and exited the lobby through the automatic doors.

"He seems like a nice person." Maura smiled.

"Yeah." Davin agreed. "If we meet each other in battle, that'll be great!"

"Let's just hope we can train hard enough to beat him, because there's no way I'm going to lose to that guy if I face him." Haro said with a slight rage in his voice. "Anyone from a different region entering this tournament must be defeated!"

Davin slapped him. "Haro, we talked about this! Don't be Ledo! Be you!"

The blonde rubbed his cheek and sighed. "I'm sorry. The memories still keep coming back to haunt me. I'll try to control myself."

"Good, and if you can't, I'll be there to slap you right out of your pain." he grinned.

Maura was confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

The boys looked at each other for a second and replied in unison, "Long story."


	48. Chapter 48 - Double The Drama

The next day had come, as well as the next round.

"Welcome, everyone, to the second day of the Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference!" The announcer stated. "Today, the remaining trainers will partake in double battles! If two battles are won, the trainer moves on to the next round. Which of the participants will succeed in doing so?"

The round was divided into four stadiums: Stadiums A, B, C, and D. Davin was going to be battling in stadium B while Haro would be battling in stadium D, Maura in stadium A, and Edric in stadium C.

"In stadium B, we have Davin from Blazehill Town vs. Osmond from Mossdeep City!" The announcer said as the two trainers took their positions on the field.

"2-on-2 double battle! Start!" The judge said.

"Rhyhorn and Roselia, let's go!" Two Poke balls were thrown into the air and a rock rhino appeared as well as a green Pokemon with roses for hands.

"Ros, Kalis, I choose you!" Davin's balls were thrown, releasing his Swampert and Snorunt. "Ok, guys. This'll be your first double battle together, so stay calm and do your best."

"Swamp!/Sno!" They nodded in unison.

"Roselia, use Petal Dance on Swampert!" A small storm of petals were released from its roses as it started to spin.

"Kalis, freeze it with Icy Wind!" Sparkling snow was blown from its mouth, turning the light petals into heavy ice.

"Ros, use Hydro Pump on Rhyhorn!" A large blast of water shot from its mouth at the target.

"Charge into it with Take Down!" Rhyhorn did as told and took the Hydro Pump head on with no problem.

"No way!" Davin exclaimed as Ros was hit by Take Down. "I can't believe Rhyhorn was able to take it. He must've trained it really well for that to happen."

"Now, Rhyhorn, use Rock Blast on Snorunt!" Rocks circled around the rhino as they were launched at Kalis and were able to make contact with him.

"Kalis, use Ice Fang on Roselia! Ros, use Hammer Arm on Rhyhorn!"

"Double Team, both of you!" When the attackers were 5 feet away, Rhyhorn and Roselia formed illusionary copies of themselves and they surrounded the opposing Pokemon, making them turn from left to right to figure out which were the real ones.

"Ros, throw Kalis into the air!" He picked up the Snow Hat Pokemon and tossed him as best he could. "Now, Kalis, use Icy Wind on all of them from above!" The sparkling snow was launched on every single one, making them disappear once they were hit, but once the fakes were gone, the real ones were no where in sight. "What? Where did they go? They couldn't have just disappeared."

Soon, the ground beneath Ros and Kalis started to shake and they took damage when Rhyhorn erupted from the ground and tackled them with Roselia on its back.

"So it used Dig to make a sneak attack because Osmond knew we would get rid of the clones." Davin noted. "Pretty smart thinking, I have to say."

"Roselia, use Toxic on Snorunt! Rhyhorn, Take Down on Swampert!" The Thorn Pokemon released a blast of purple liquid at Kalis, who dodged it, as Rhyhorn tackled Ros with its Take Down.

"Now, Kalis! Ice Fang on Rhyhorn!" The ice Pokemon bit down on Rhyhorn's horn with its chilled teeth, causing part of its body to become frozen.

"Ros, Hydro Pump!" The blast of water escaped his mouth and made its way to Rhyhorn, super effective damage taking place.

"Roselia, use Sunny Day to melt the ice!"

"I don't think so! Kalis, use Bite!"

Before Roselia could use its move, Kalis bit down on its blue rose and threw it across the field.

"Ros, use Hammer Arm on Rhyhorn!" The rhino's head was punched, making it fall into unconsciousness. "Kalis, use Ice Fang on Roselia!" The Grass/Poison type suffered from the icy biting and fainted when Kalis let go.

"Both Rhyhorn and Roselia are unable to battle! Swampert and Snorunt win and Davin moves on to the next match!"

"Yes!" Davin cheered. He went over to his Pokemon and congratulated them. "Both of you did awesome! Great job!" They both smiled at their trainer.

* * *

In stadium D, Haro won his double battle using his Raichu and Dustox against his opponent's Dunsparce and Primeape. Maura won in stadium A with her Mightyena and Crawdaunt against her opponent's Kirlia and Swellow. Lastly, Edric won in stadium C with his Persian and Absol against his opponent's Granbull and Ariados.

* * *

Davin's second double battle was against a girl called Nona. She used a Metagross and Houndoom while Davin used Halo and Ira. Cutting to the climax of the battle, Davin lost Halo to Houndoom's Flamethrower while Nona lost Houndoom to Ira's Aqua Jet.

"Metagross, use Meteor Mash!" The Iron Leg Pokemon raced towards the Carvanha with its right front leg glowing white.

"Ira, dodge it!" The Steel/Psychic Pokemon was too fast and it hit her with its attack.

"Now, Gyro Ball!" It levitated in the air and began spinning. All four of its legs glowed white as it continued spinning towards its foe.

"Endure!" Ira closed her eyes and braced herself. The Gyro Ball made contact, but the Carvanha was still okay to go on. "Use Swagger!" Her eyes opened and they glowed red while giving off intimidation. Metagross's body became outlined in this color and its eyes turned into spinning swirls, signifying that it has been confused.

"It's a risk, but at least it's helpful." Davin said to himself. "Ira, Aqua Jet!" Entire body covered in water, Ira launched herself at the target and landed a clear hit, though it didn't seem to do much.

"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" It raised its glowing front leg and it hit itself with it on the head.

"Take Down, let's go!" She hopped over to it and rammed her body against it, causing recoil damage to herself.

"Come on, Metagross! Gyro Ball!"

"Swagger, once more!" The intimidating look was used again but nothing changed. "_If we keep raising its attack power, it'll put us in danger but at the same time it'll take more damage when it hits itself, possibly enough to knock it out._"

To Davin's worry, Metagross successfully used Gyro Ball and it made contact with Ira, causing major damage because of Swagger's attack boost. "Are you okay, Ira?" he asked her. To his relief, she managed to get up and still continue the battle. "All right! Swagger!" Metagross's attack power doubled again and it was still confused.

"What's he doing?" Nona wondered. "He knows that since Metagross is already confused, its attack power goes up when he uses Swagger more than once. Is he planning something?"

"Keep up the Swagger, Ira!" Davin ordered. Metagross's attack doubled again and again and again until its attack power couldn't be raised any higher.

"I don't know what you were thinking, but you made a huge mistake! Metagross, Meteor Mash!" Still confused, Metagross raised its front leg and was prepared to strike, but to Nona's shock, it hit itself with its high increased Physical move.

"It worked! Now, Ira, put everything you've got into one final Aqua Jet!" Water surrounded the piranha as she came at Metagross and managed to knock it across the field with her strength. The Iron Leg Pokemon fell unconscious when it hit the ground.

"Metagross is unable to battle! Carvanha wins! With two victories, Davin advances to the next round!"

"HA HA!" He celebrated as he jumped into the air with his fist raised. He ran over to Ira and stroked her scales. "Thank you, Ira. You did amazing! I can't tell you how proud I am of you right now."

"Car. Car, Carva." she grinned at him.

* * *

"And that concludes the qualifying rounds!" The announcer announced at the end of the day. "Only 32 contestants remain. The battles from here will all be full 6-on-6 battles! Stay tuned to see what will unfold in this glorious tournament!"


	49. Chapter 49 - Color Of Victory

Davin, Haro, and Maura were eating together at one of the Ever Grande City restaurants that night while discussing their progress in the tournament.

"My second double battle wasn't that hard," Maura said. "With Blaziken and Mightyena, how could I have lost?"

"Same here." Haro added. "Linoone and Meganium barely broke a sweat."

"Well, I can't really say the same." Davin admitted. "Halo was taken down and Ira was left to beat my opponent. It was a little tricky, but I managed to pull through." He thought for a moment. "So have either of you heard about Edric's battle?"

"I don't know much about his first double battle, but I heard that he won his second one with his Venusaur and Machamp." Haro said after taking a sip of his drink. "That guy's good. He could be problem if either one of us end up facing him in battle."

"Eh, I'm not worried." Davin said with a smile. "I pretty much _hope_ we face each other so I could see how his other Pokemon are good in battle."

Maura smiled at his enthusiasm. "Well, let's just worry about making it to the finals, okay? After all, we have to do two 6-on-6 battles tomorrow in order to move on."

Haro nodded. "She's right. We have to be prepared."

Davin grinned. "I'm sure I'll have no worries."

* * *

"Welcome to the third day of the Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference!" The announcer said, the next day. "The remaining 32 contestants will participate in two full battles to see who will be in the top 8. Which trainers will accomplish this? Let's find out!"

Davin's first full battle

"Ros, use Muddy Water!" The brown tidal wave of water erupted upon the Swampert's command and it crashed down on the opponent's Camerupt, leaving it knocked out.

"Camerupt is unable to battle! Swampert wins and Davin moves to the next match!"

"Yes!" He shouted.

Maura's first full battle

"Blaziken, Brave Bird!" Jumping into the air, Blaziken dived down towards the Wigglytuff and landed a hit, making the Balloon Pokemon faint.

"Wigglytuff is unable to battle! Blaziken wins and Maura moves on to the next match!"

"All right!" She cheered.

Haro's first full battle

"Meganium, use Solar Beam!" The flower around its neck gathered sunlight and Meganium released the white beam from its mouth at the Girafarig, which made contact with it and made it fall into unconsciousness.

"Girafarig is unable to battle! Meganium wins and Haro moves to the next match!"

"Hmph." He smiled to himself.

Edric's first full battle

"Venusaur, use Sludge Bomb!" Bullets of poison shot from its mouth at the opponent's Snover, resulting in it being knocked out.

"Snover is unable to battle! Venusaur wins and Edric moves on to the next match!"

"Oh, yeah!" He said as he pumped his fist.

* * *

Sometime later that day, Davin was in his second full battle against his opponent, Austin. Both of them had only one Pokemon left to battle with before the winner was decided.

"Ferro, let's go!"

"Go, Kecleon!"

Davin's Aggron appeared on the field as well as Austin's green chameleon Pokemon. Davin used his Pokédex to get more information.

"Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokémon. It's ability, Color Change, allows its type to change depending on what type of attack it is damaged with. When its body disappears, only the zigzag pattern on its belly is visible."

"An interesting tip." Davin noted to himself. "Ok, Ferro, use Stone Edge!"

"Kecleon, Blizzard!" A small snowstorm was released from its mouth and it freezed the rocks solid, making them fall to the ground.

"Shoot. Use Iron Head!"

"Protect!" Kecleon's green forcefield blocked Ferro's attack. "Now, Drain Punch!" It threw a fist at Ferro's face, absorbing his energy and bringing it to Kecleon.

"Headbutt!" The Aggron lowered his head and charged, but Kecleon used its long tongue to lift itself into the air and avoid it. "What?! This can't be! Kecleon keeps evading all of our moves!"

"I've trained my Kecleon to use moves that would prevent its opponents from activating its ability to their advantage while also causing them damage." Austin explained. "Don't think you can win without coming up with a good strategy. Kecleon, use Blizzard!"

"Iron Defense, Ferro!" Its body was able to take the Ice attack by hardening. "Now, Stone Edge!" Rocks flew at the green lizard.

"Use Blizzard again!"

"Iron Head, now!"

As the rocks were frozen, Ferro quickly charged through and hit Kecleon with its shining head. Due to Color Change, its type changed from Normal to Steel.

"How's that for a good strategy, Austin?" Davin taunted. "Now, while its down, use Stone Edge!" Unlike the previous two attempts, the rocks made contact with Kecleon, its ability changing it into a Rock type.

"Just what I planned! Ferro, Iron Head at full power!"

"Protect, Kecleon!"

The forcefield was put up and Ferro made contact with it. He pushed on it with all his strength and he was able to break through it while hitting Kecleon in the process. It fainted as a result.

"Kecleon is unable to battle! Aggron wins! The victor, Davin, advances to the quarterfinals!"

The crowd cheered for him as he grinned with the joy of victory. "He spent so much time teaching his Kecleon moves that would block and attack his opponent that he didn't even bother to raise its base defense power. That's the reason why he lost." He walked over to Ferro and placed his hand on its back. "Ferro, excellent job!"

"Gron." It nodded in appreciation.


	50. Chapter 50 - The Twist Of The Tournament

Moving on to the next day, the quarterfinals were taking place. Davin, Maura, Haro, and Edric all made it through the previous round and were currently in the top 8. That is until...

* * *

Davin: Halo, use Bug Buzz!

*Opponent is knocked out*

Judge: Davin advances!

* * *

Maura: Mightyena, Shadow Ball!

*Opponent falls*

Judge: Maura advances!

* * *

Haro: Raichu, use Thunderbolt!

*Another knockout*

Judge: Haro advances!

* * *

Edric: Persian, use Slash!

*Yet another opponent falls*

Judge: Edric advances!

* * *

"Ladies and gentleman, our top 4 trainers have been revealed!" The announcer stated. On the screen, Davin's, Haro's, Maura's, and Edric's pictures appeared.

"All right! I can't believe we all made it!" Maura cheered. She and the other 3 were in the lobby watching the screen.

"I'm not too surprised." Davin said. "We all worked hard to get here and we weren't going to let anyone take us down no matter what."

"Yeah." Edric agreed. "No way _I _was going to be defeated after all the training I went through."

"Well, let's not get too happy." Haro added. "In the next round, we're going to have to battle each other to see who becomes champion, and I don't plan on losing to either one of you."

"That goes double for me!" Davin said. "Even though we're friends, let's give our all!"

Back in the arena, the announcer spoke, "And now that the top 4 has been decided, we have a special treat for all of you!" On the screen, the top 4's pictures moved to the side and were stacked on top of each other. "After many discussions from the Pokemon League officials, 4 special people will be making a very special appearance!"

"What?" Davin asked.

"What could this be about?" Maura added.

The announcer stated, "Ladies and gentleman, I give you..."

A picture of a guy who was bald, except for a bit of red hair sticking out from his head that was in a strange shape, appeared on the screen. "Sidney!"

A picture of a tan-skinned girl with two flowers on the sides of her hair appeared on the screen. "Phoebe!"

A picture of a woman with blonde hair that had three ends sticking out from behind appeared on the screen. "Glacia!"

Lastly, a picture of a man with a white moustache and wearing a sailor's hat with a yellow Poke ball imprinted in the center of it appeared on the screen. "And Drake!"

The pictures gathered together, one beside the other. "THE HOENN... ELITE... FOUR!" The crowd went crazy when the announcer spoke those words.

"WOW! The Elite Four are coming!" Maura squealed with excitement. "This is gonna be great!"

"Out of all the times they could've come, I never expected it to be this time." Edric added.

Back in the arena, the announcer added, "And for an even more special treat, the Elite Four will be battling the Top 4 in the next round!"

"WHAT?/NO WAY!/SERIOUSLY?/COOL!" Haro, Maura, Edric, and Davin shouted in that order at the same time.

"Now, let's see who will face who tomorrow!" The eight pictures came together and started to shuffle themselves by spinning in a circle. Eventually, they separated by twos and the pairings were revealed.

"Ok! For the first match, it will be Sidney vs. Maura! Afterwards, it will be Phoebe vs. Davin! Next will be Glacia vs. Haro and lastly, Drake vs. Edric! If the top 4 contestants can defeat the member they're up against in a 5-on-5 battle, they will move on to the semifinals! If not, they will automatically lose the tournament. An exciting battle is sure to ensue between these great trainers!"

* * *

"THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! HOW DARE THEY DO THIS TO US?!" Haro shouted when he stood up.

"What's your problem? We've been given the chance to battle Hoenn's best trainers." Davin said.

The blonde turned his head towards them. "How can you all be so calm about this?! Aren't you mad?!"

"What's there to be mad about?" Maura asked.

Haro sneered. "What do you mean? They just went ahead and put them all against us with no absolute warning! It's like they planned to let our hard work in this tournament go to waste!"

"Dude, don't you see how great of an opportunity this is?" Edric said when he stood up. "By going up against the Elite Four, our skills as trainers will be tested. If we lose, that just means we need more training, but if we win, that proves that we have the potential to become the best trainers ever. Don't you see that?"

Haro calmed down and averted his gaze with Edric. "I... guess you have point." He looked at him again. "It just makes me mad that they would do this without telling us. We, as the contestants, have the right to know any changes that go on in this tournament since _we're_ the ones that are in it."

Davin said, "Well, it's nothing to get too upset about. They just wanted to surprise us like they wanted to surprise the visitors. It's not like they did it for us to just lose the tournament; that would be cruel and unforgivable, which is not the Pokemon League way."

Haro thought about it and said, "You're right. I guess the sudden shock just got to me. Sorry I overreacted."

Edric went over and patted Haro on the back. "Don't worry about it. It happens to all of us at least once."

Davin stood up. "Well, with that taken care, what are we doing just sitting here? We all gotta train hard if we want to face each other in the semifinals!"

Maura stood up. "Davin's right. We need to be at the top of our game tomorrow, especially me since I'm up first."

Edric nodded. "Right. Hey, here's an idea: Why don't we all train together? That way, we can help each other with whatever we need help with."

"Good idea. Let's go!" Davin ran out of the automatic doors, Maura and the other two boys right behind him.


	51. Chapter 51 - A Date With The Dark

"Welcome, one and all, to this special event in the Hoenn League Ever Grande conference!" The announcer said the next day. "The Elite Four have just arrived and they are ready to take on our Top 4 contestants. What will be the outcome of these battles between these strong trainers?"

While the announcer spoke, the top 4 were in the contestants' room watching the screen.

"This is it..." Davin said. "Our battles with the elite starts today."

"They won't be easy to beat. We should take caution when the time comes." Haro said.

"Yeah." Maura said as she stood up. "I'm up first. Wish me luck."

Davin gave her a thumbs up. "We'll be rooting for ya', Maura. Do your best!"

She smiled at him. "Thanks. I will."

* * *

"Now, let's get these battles underway!" The announcer shouted. "First up, we have Maura from Blackthorn City," The girl entered the arena as her name was said. "Against the Dark type user himself, Sidney!" The almost bald guy with the bit of red hair made his appearance.

The battlefield suddenly started to descend under the arena. "The battle will take place on a grass battlefield." The announcer said as the said field ascended to the arena in replacement of the previous.

On the arena screen, the portrait pictures of the two trainers appeared, as well as five slot circles underneath each of them. "If both trainers are ready, let the battle begin!"

Sidney went first. "Mightyena, let's go!" The familiar black dog made its appearance on the grass.

"Like I didn't see this coming." Maura said as she took out a Poke ball. "Pinsir, I choose you!" A brown beetle with white, spiked horns on its head materialized into battle.

"A Pinsir?" Davin asked as he took out his Pokedex.

"Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokemon. Their pincers are strong enough to shatter thick logs. Because they dislike cold, Pinsir burrow and sleep under the ground on chilly nights."

"_Good thing I stopped by the Safari Zone before I came to the Hoenn League._" Maura thought. "_Since Pinsir can use Bug and Fighting type moves, this'll be easy._"

"Mightyena, use Double Edge!" It ran at the Bug-type with the intention to tackle it.

"Pinsir, charge in and use Superpower!" It jumped in the air and raised its fist to deliver a punch to its opponent, but Mightyena quickly dodged out of the way.

"Use Sand Attack!" Mightyena turned around and started to kick dirt at Pinsir with its back legs.

"Dodge and use Submission!" Pinsir did as ordered; it grabbed Mightyena and started to roll around with it in a wild fashion across the grass. Eventually, Pinsir kicked it and Mightyena just lied there.

"Mightyena is unable to battle! Pinsir wins!"

"Awesome!" Davin cheered. "That's one down and four to go!"

"I wouldn't get too excited." Edric warned. "That was just his first. The others will be a lot stronger."

Sidney recalled his Pokemon. "Not bad, Maura. Unfortunately for you, that was just a test." He took out his second Poke ball. "Now the real battle begins! Go, Absol!" A white-furred quadruped with a scythe-shape sticking out of its head appeared from the ball.

"He has an Absol just like yours, Edric." Davin noted, having seen the boy's Absol when they had trained last night.

"Yeah, but mine is nowhere near as strong as his." Edric said.

Maura wasn't worried. "No big deal! A Dark type is a Dark type." She pointed at it. "Pinsir, X-Scissor!" Its white horns glowed as it ran towards the Disaster Pokemon.

Sidney smirked. "Absol, Rock Slide!" The scythe on its head glowed and with a swing of its head, rocks flew out from it and struck Pinsir, making it skid across the grass and faint instantly.

"Pinsir!" Maura cried.

"Pinsir is unable to battle! Absol wins!"

Davin was shocked. "In only one hit?!"

"You expected anything less from an Elite Four member?" Haro asked.

* * *

Maura recalled Pinsir. "Thank you. You did great." She looked at the Absol. "It's stronger than I expected. I guess I'll just have to go with plan B." She threw her next Poke ball. "Blaziken, let's go!" The Blaze Pokemon appeared on the field.

"Absol, use Aerial Ace!" It swiftly came towards Blaziken with streaks of light surrounding its body.

"Substitute!" As Maura said this, Absol tried to tackle it, but Blaziken disappeared as soon as it made contact with it.

"Now! Sky Uppercut!" Out of nowhere, Blaziken delivered a punch under Absol's chin and sent it flying into the air.

"Absol, use Rock Slide!" While in the air, it quickly sent the rocks with a swing of its head.

"Head straight into it with Brave Bird!" Blaziken jumped into the air with its body in a blue aura and it broke through the rocks as it made its way towards Absol. When it was close enough, Blaziken impacted Absol in midair and made it fall to the ground.

"Use Slash!" Absol got back up and went towards Blaziken with its claws.

"Flare Blitz!" Fire engulfed its body and Blaziken charged forward and hit Absol with its burning body, resulting in it being knocked out.

"Absol is unable to battle! Blaziken wins!"

Davin smiled. "See, guys? She's doing great. I don't see how anything can go wrong."

"Just wait and see." Haro told him.

Sidney returned Absol. "Now, Crawdaunt, let's go!" The red lobster appeared on his side.

"Return, Blaziken!" The fire Pokemon disappeared in the red beam of light. "Since Crawdaunt's a Water type, I'll switch for now." The next ball was thrown. "Banette, it's your turn!" A black doll with red eyes and a zipper-like mouth came out on to the grass.

Davin's Pokedex

"Banette, the Marionette Pokemon. Originally a plush doll, they are said to live in garbage dumps and wander about in search of the children that threw them away."

"A Ghost type? But aren't they ineffective against Dark types?" Davin asked.

"That's true, but there's no way Maura would do that without having some sort of plan." Haro said.

"Crawdaunt, use Surf!" It pushed its pincers forward as a giant wave of water was summoned.

"Banette, use Hidden Power!" Clear white orbs circled around its arms and it threw them at the wave, destroying it before it could cause damage.

"Now, use Torment!" Banette started to clap its hands repeatedly as Crawdaunt became agitated.

"What's Torment?" Davin asked.

"It's a move that prevents your opponent from using the same move twice in a row." Edric explained.

"_Oh no!_" Sidney thought. "_Crawdaunt's only other attacking moves are Strength and Façade, but they won't work since Normal attacks don't work on Ghost types. That only leaves us with Surf and Swords Dance, and that won't do any good since Swords Dance increases your attack power and Surf is a non-physical move._"

"I had a feeling he'd panic." Maura grinned. "All right, Banette! Thunder Wave!" Electricity formed between its hands and it was sent at Crawdaunt, leaving it paralyzed.

Sidney gasped as Maura commanded, "Use Night Shade!" and Banette's eyes fired two dark beams that made contact with the Rogue Pokemon. "Now, use Hidden Power one more time!" The orbs were formed and launched as Crawdaunt took the damage and fell on its back, unconscious.

"Crawdaunt is unable to battle! Banette wins!"

Sidney returned the Water/Dark type. "This girl is something. I've already lost three and she's only lost one." The next Poke ball was thrown. "Go, Cacturne!" The Scarecrow Pokemon appeared on the field.

"Take a break, Banette!" The ghostly doll was recalled to its Poke ball. "Blaziken, let's go!" When it came to the field, Maura immediately called for Flare Blitz and it charged at the Grass/Dark type while coated in flames.

"Cacturne, use Cotton Spore!" White cotton balls floated out of its mouth, but were burned to nothing when they made contact with Blaziken; Cacturne's body was scorched by the blazing hit.

"Brave Bird!" It jumped and made another powerful impact on the cactus Pokemon, knocking it unconscious.

"Cacturne is unable to battle! Blaziken wins!"

"Ha! Now Sidney only has one Pokemon left!" Davin said.

"Yeah, but Blaziken used both Flare Blitz and Brave Bird, which both cause recoil damage to the user every time its used." Edric said. "At this rate, Blaziken won't last for much longer."

Maura noticed that Blaziken was panting. "Return, Blaziken. You've done enough." The Blaze Pokemon was absorbed back into the Poke ball.

Sidney took out his final Poke ball. "Shiftry, come on out!"

Maura threw her next Poke ball. "Let's do this, Cloyster!"

Sidney's second Grass/Dark Pokemon appeared as Maura's Water/Ice Pokemon materialized.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Cloyster, the Bivalve Pokemon. It swims in the sea by swallowing water, then jetting it out toward the rear. It also shoots spikes from its shell using the same system."

"Shiftry, use Extrasensory!"

"Cloyster, use Protect!"

Shiftry's eyes glowed yellow and it fired one singular beam from both of its eyes, but it was blocked by a green forcefield that appeared around Cloyster.

"Now, use Aurora Beam!" A multicolored beam shot from the horn inside of its shell.

"Double Team!" The beam passed through Shiftry as clones of itself appeared.

Maura smirked. "Blow them all away with Blizzard!" A strong snowstorm blew from its mouth that made all the clones disappear in an instant while at the same time causing damage to the real one, freezing its entire body in solid ice.

"It can't be!" Sidney gasped.

Davin smiled brightly while Haro and Edric stared in disbelief.

With confidence, Maura grinned and pointed to Shiftry. "Now, Cloyster! End this with Giga Impact!"

Cloyster's body dragged against the grassy surface as it became engulfed in an orange and purple aura. Shiftry, frozen and unable to do anything, was hit by the powerful attack. With the ice having been broken on contact, Shiftry skidded across the field and just lied there, unconscious and defeated.

"Shiftry is unable to battle! Cloyster wins! Therefore, Maura advances to the semifinals!"

The crowd erupted into loud cheers and screams as her picture on the scoreboard moved to the center with 'Winner!' underneath it

"All right! I told you guys Maura could do it!" Davin cheered.

"Unbelievable! She actually did it!" Haro said with a shocked expression.

"She's a lot stronger than I expected!" Edric added.

Maura ran on to the field and gave her Pokemon a hug. "You did it, Cloyster! We actually won! Thank you so much!"

"Cloyster." It said in a dark voice, but with a happy smile.

Sidney recalled Shiftry and walked over to the girl. "That was an excellent battle, Maura. I really enjoyed it."

"Same here, Sidney. I had a ton of fun." She smiled.

Both of them shook hands with each other, Maura recalled Cloyster to its Poke ball, and they both exited the arena.


	52. Chapter 52 - Haunting The Battle Zone

When Maura met up with the others back in the contestant room, Davin immediately ran over and hugged her. "You were just awesome out there, Maura! You've really been practicing!"

A little shocked from the sudden action, Maura blushed. "Oh... well... I guess I have..."

"I agree with Davin. You battled really great!" Edric said.

"I never thought you had it in you." Haro added with a grin.

"Thanks, guys. To be honest, I was a little surprised myself. I never expected the battle to go like that."

Davin released her from the hug. "I just have one question: Where'd you get that Cloyster? Last time I checked, there aren't that many of them in the Hoenn region."

Maura giggled. "That's because I caught it when I was in Johto." She got out the Poke ball and held it in her hand. "I figured that the battle was going to be tough, so I called my friend Demeta and told her to send Cloyster over."

"Demeta? " Davin asked.

"She's a childhood friend of mine who's a Pokemon breeder. Her family owns a Pokemon daycare outside of Cherrygrove City and she lets me keep my other Pokemon there so that they'll have a place to be where I can get them if I need to. Just the other day, I sent some of the Pokemon that I had with me to her in exchange for some others."

"Excellent planning." commented Edric.

"Now, the second Elite Four battle will begin!" The announcer said.

"That means I'm up! And I'm going to win for sure!" Davin ran towards the stadium entrance.

"Good luck, Davin!" Maura shouted to him.

* * *

"And now… we have Davin from Blazehill Town," The boy entered upon his name being said. "Against the Ghost type user herself, Phoebe!" The Hawaiian dressed girl walked out casually at the mention of her name.

"For this battle, the trainers will be battling on a rock battlefield." The normal battlefield sunk in from view as it was substituted for another one with various rocks and boulders on a rocky surface. "If both trainers are ready, then let the battle begin!"

As expected, Phoebe went first. "Dusclops, let's go!" A black creature with a single eye appeared on the field. "There's no way you'll be able to defeat the bond I have with my Ghost Pokemon."

"We'll just see about that. Ira, I choose you!" Davin's Carvanha emerged from its Poke ball and on to the ground. "Start off with Aqua Jet!"

"Dusclops, Protect!" It held its hands out to produce a dome-shaped barrier around itself, which blocked the arriving Aqua Jet and sent Ira skidding across the field on its back. "It'll take a lot more than just force to defeat me. Now, Dusclops, Confuse Ray!" It waved its hands as its eye fired a purple beam of light that hit Ira and made it confused.

"Oh, great" Davin groaned. He recalled Ira to her Poke ball and threw out another one. "Ferro, you take over!"

"Aggron!" It shouted when it came out.

"That won't do you any good. Dusclops, use Curse!" Waving its hands again, a blackish-purple fog was released from them and it spread all across the field, making Ferro get down on one of its knees.

"What's Curse?" Davin asked in confusion.

Phoebe chuckled. "Normally, it's a move that lowers the user's speed and raises its attack and defense. But when used by a Ghost type, it causes the opponent to constantly take damage in exchange for half of the user's health. Pretty cool, huh?"

Davin grunted. "Well, I refuse to let that stop me. Ferro, use Iron Head!"

"Protect!" The dome-shaped barrier prevented the Iron Head from hitting successfully. "Now, Shadow Punch!" Black shadow fists fired from its normal fists and they each punched Ferro in the face while Curse took effect and caused it to shout in pain.

"Return, Ferro!" Davin reluctantly retrieved it from the field. "This is crazy. As long as she keeps using Protect, Confuse Ray and Shadow Punch, there's no way we can beat it." Just then, a light bulb went off in his head. "Unless..."

Maura frowned. "Davin's not looking too good right now."

"Phoebe obviously trained Dusclops to try and psych out her opponents with its status effecting moves." Edric said. "If he doesn't figure out something, it's going to be bad."

His third Poke ball was thrown. "Let's do it, Luck!" The big brown Slaking materialized on to the field lying on its side with its eyes closed.

Haro spoke when he saw it. "What is he thinking? Luck's Normal and Fighting type moves won't work on a Ghost type!"

"An interesting choice." Phoebe said. "Let's see what you're up to. Dusclops, Confuse Ray!"

"Luck, use Protect!" The Slaking's own dome-shaped barrier shielded it from the beam.

"Use Curse!" The fog spread across the field again, both Pokemon taking damage. "Follow with Confuse Ray!" This time, the beam of light was successful in making contact and the Normal type was confused.

Davin grinned. "Just as I thought. Since Luck is a Normal type, Dusclops can't use Shadow Punch and it can only use Protect, Confuse Ray, and Curse." He looked at Dusclops and saw it panting. "And since it used Curse a second time, half of the health that was already taken away from the first one is reduced to another half. If this works, Dusclops will fall in no time."

Luck shifted his mouth slightly due to the confusion. "Listen, Luck! Try using Thunder!" Attempting to get its head straight, it put its hand out as electricity shot out of it.

"Protect, Dusclops!" Due to Curse taking most of its health, Dusclops couldn't use the move in time and was hit by the powerful electric discharge. Afterwards, it fell on its back and passed out.

"Dusclops is unable to battle! Slaking wins!"

"Yes! I knew it would work!" Davin cheered to himself. "Great work, Luck!"

"Slak, Slak." It responded dizzily.

"So that's what he was planning." Edric figured out. "Not bad, Davin. Not bad at all."

"That was so smart, Davin! Way to go!" Maura cheered.

Phoebe recalled her Pokemon. "You may have been able to beat my first Dusclops, but let's see how you do against my second!" She lobbed a Poke ball and the same Pokemon appeared from it.

"As if one wasn't bad enough." Davin groaned. He recalled Luck and sent Ira back out. "All right, use Aqua Jet!"

"Dusclops, Ice Beam!" Light-blue beams shot out of its eye and Ira was frozen solid in mid-attack. "Earthquake!" It hopped into the air and slammed down on the ground to send shockwaves through the field and on to Ira, making the chunk of ice that held her at the bottom break loose and fly into the air.

"That Dusclops is way more different than her other one." Maura noted.

"Instead of focusing on status effects, this Dusclops focuses on using offensive attacks." Edric said. "I have to admit that Phoebe has appealing ways of training her Pokemon."

When Ira landed, the ice that was containing her shattered into pieces and she was free once again. "You okay?" Davin asked. She shook herself and stared at Dusclops with anger. "All right. Use Dark Pulse!" Ira opened her mouth and a beam of dark circles was released, hitting Dusclops directly.

"All right!" Maura cheered. "Since Dusclops is a Ghost type, that Dark Pulse was super effective!" She turned to Haro. "Good thing you had your Vulpix teach it that move during last night's training."

"It was nothing." he shrugged. "I just knew that Phoebe used Ghost types and I knew that Davin's Carvanha would have the advantage. Of course, since it didn't know any Dark type moves, I'd figure I lend him a helping hand."

"Dusclops, use Rock Slide!" It went to a nearby boulder and destroyed it with its fist, causing the remaining pieces to fly out at the Carvanha.

"Use Aqua Jet and go past them!" Cloaking itself in water, it rocketed towards Dusclops while zigzagging around the flying rocks. Eventually, she made contact with the center of its body. "Quick! Use Swagger!" The piranha's eyes glowed red as they gave off an intimidation glare and Dusclops became confused.

"Use Shadow Ball!" It managed to form a black and purple ball in its hands and it was fired.

"Dodge and use Dark Pulse!" Jumping away from Shadow Ball's path, it released the dark circles that struck the confused Requiem Pokemon.

"Earthquake!" With its eye closed, it jumped into the air and slammed the ground only to have it backfire and send a shockwave under its own feet.

"Aqua Jet! Now! " Like a gun bullet, Ira shot herself towards Dusclops and struck its body, sending it into a boulder and having it faint.

"Dusclops is unable to battle! Carvanha wins!"

* * *

Phoebe recalled Dusclops. "You're doing well so far, Davin. I like that." She threw her next Poke ball. "Go, Banette!" The black doll levitated in the air upon its release.

"From what I've seen, there's no way it'll be like Maura's." Davin said to himself. "Ira, Dark Pulse!"

"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" It calmly went out of the way of the attack and it fired a beam of electricity from its body, electrocuting the Water-type Pokemon. "Now, use Facade!" Banette's body became surrounded in an orange aura and it tackled Ira, sending it into a boulder and having it faint.

"Carvanha is unable to battle! Banette wins! "

"I guess the combination of Thunderbolt and the damage it had taken before that was what made it lose." Maura said.

"He'd better be careful. Who knows what kind of tricks she has up her sleeve?" Edric said.

Davin called Ira to her Poke ball. "You did great. Take a good rest." He threw the next ball. "Ros, let's go!" The Swampert came out on to the rock surface.

"Hmph. Another easy one. Banette, use Thunderbolt!" The electric beam was released, but Ros took it without a problem. "What? Why isn't it working?"

Davin chuckled. "You're forgetting that Swampert is also a Ground type, which makes your Thunderbolt useless. Ros, use Hydro Pump!" A powerful jet of water blasted Banette in the face. "Now, Mud Shot!"

"Repel it with Psychic!" Banette's eyes glowed light blue as well as the bullets of mud that were fired. The mud shifted direction and Ros was pelted by them. "Use Shadow Ball!"

"Muddy Water!" The brown tidal wave of water rose up from the ground while it blocked the incoming Shadow Ball at the same. The wave then advanced forward and splashed Banette with its water. "Now! One more Mud Shot!" Instead of multiple globs, a stream of mud ejected from its mouth. Banette was struck by it and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Banette is unable to battle! Swampert wins!"


	53. Chapter 53 - Grudging On A Victory

"Davin's doing pretty good." Haro admitted.

"Yeah, but it's not over yet." Edric said.

"Don't worry. I'm positive he'll win!" Maura said.

Phoebe called back Banette. "All right, Banette #2, let's go!" The same Pokemon came out of the thrown ball.

"Oh, come on! What is up with her and having two of the same Pokemon?!" Davin said with frustration. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can do about it." He pointed to Banette. "Ros, Hydro Pump!"

"Banette, use Grudge!" Its body glowed slightly as it was hit by Hydro Pump.

"Was that supposed to do anything? It seemed pretty useless." Davin said to himself.

"Now, Will-O-Wisp!" Blue flames surrounded Banette as they were sent over to Ros.

"Put 'em out with Mud Shot!" The balls of mud that were fired made contact with the flames and both of them disappeared when each one of them hit. "Now, use Muddy Water!"

"Grudge!" Banette was hit by the tidal wave as its body slightly glowed again.

"_What is she doing? I don't know what that Grudge thing is supposed to be doing, but it seems like she's just wasting her time._" Davin thought.

"Use Faint Attack!" The Marionette Pokemon vanished from view and quickly re-materialized behind the unsuspecting Swampert. It then jabbed Ros in the back of the neck and went back to Phoebe's side of the battlefield.

Davin narrowed his eyes "I've had enough of this. Ros, put everything you've got into a Muddy Water and take it out!"

As the tidal wave appeared, Phoebe called for another Grudge; Banette was hit by the brown water wave and fainted.

"Banette is unable to battle! Swampert wins!"

* * *

"Just one more victory and Davin wins!" Maura reminded the boys.

"Let's hope he can do it..." Edric said.

Phoebe recalled Banette. "You've come far in this battle, Davin, but I won't lose! Sableye, come out!" The crystal-eyed Darkness Pokemon made its appearance on the battlefield.

"No way are we losing! Ros, Muddy Water!" It raised its hands into the air to summon the move, but nothing happened. "Huh? What's going on?"

Phoebe had a smirk on her face. "Oh, I suppose you didn't know. When a Pokemon is defeated after using Grudge, the attack it used to knock it out is completely drained of its power and the Pokemon can't use it for the rest of the battle."

Davin gasped. "_So that's why she kept using it. She expected for Banette to faint after getting hit by one of Ros's moves so that he wouldn't be able to use one of them._"

"Now, Sableye, use Night Shade!" Black beams fired from both of its eyes and struck Ros's body. "Follow with Faint Attack!" Like Banette, Sableye disappeared and threw a punch behind Ros.

"Ros, return!" The beam from the Poke ball absorbed Ros into it. "Now, Kalis, I choose you!" Davin's ice Pokemon entered the battle. "Icy Wind!"

"Use Double Team!" Kalis's attack was avoided as copies of Sableye appeared all around the field.

"That won't work. Kalis, use Hail!" A light blue sphere formed between its hands and it threw it towards the sky. Then, dark clouds appeared over the battlefield and large chunks of hail began to rain down upon it, striking the Sableye copies as it came down and making them disappear while at the same time hitting the original. "Now, Ice Fang!" It jumped forward and closed its cold jaw on to Sableye's arm, making part of it freeze solid.

"Sableye, Night Shade!" When Kalis was hit by the beams, his grip quickly loosened and he was knocked back to Davin's side of the field. Just then, more chunks of hail crashed down on Sableye.

"Icy Wind! Go!" The chilling wind blown from its mouth hit the Dark/Ghost type and made it flinch as more hail rained down on it.

"Now, Kalis! End this battle with a Bite attack!"

"Come on, Sableye! Faint Attack!"

Sableye tried to move, but its frozen arm prevented it; Kalis took the chance and bit down on its head, where he proceeded to pick it up in his mouth and toss him into a boulder, destroying it on contact and leaving the Sableye knocked out as the hail stopped and the dark clouds disappeared.

"Sableye is unable to battle! Snorunt wins! Davin advances to the semifinals!" The crowd went off into loud cheers after the judge announced this.

"I DID IT! I won!" Davin celebrated. He ran over to his Snorunt and picked him up. "Way to go, Kalis! You were amazing!"

"Sno, Sno~!" It said happily.

Phoebe called back Sableye and walked over to the victor. "It's a shame that I lost, but that was an excellent battle. Davin, you are truly a talented trainer."

He smiled. "Thanks, Phoebe. It wasn't easy having to deal with your strategies, but it was all good."

After shaking hands, both of them cleared the arena for the next battle.


	54. Chapter 54 - Freeze The Feeling

"Davin, you were great!" Maura said when he walked in.

"Thanks. It may have looked like I was in the middle of losing, but really I was just giving the audience the suspense that they wanted." he said, trying to show off.

"Oh, please..." Haro rolled his eyes as he stood up. "Well, I'm next. Hopefully, this battle won't be too difficult."

"Good luck, Haro! Make us proud!" Davin shouted to him as he walked towards the arena.

* * *

"Now, for the third battle! We have Haro from Lilycove City against the Ice type user herself, Glacia!" The two trainers took their place on the battle field, one of them being the blonde haired woman from the picture wearing a purple dress.

"This match will take place on an ice battlefield!" The announcer said as the regular field switched to another one made of ice with stalagmites on the sides of it. "If both contenders are ready, let the battle begin!"

Glacia pulled out her Poke ball. "I hope you'll be able to give me a decent battle. Let's go, Sealeo!" The Ball Roll Pokemon materialized on to the ice.

"Believe me, I will! Vulpix, I choose you!" The Fox Pokemon appeared on the boy's side.

"I had a feeling he would use Vulpix," Davin said. "Ice types are weak against Fire types, after all."

"Yeah, but Sealeo's also a Water type." Edric said. "He'll be in trouble if he doesn't think about his moves carefully."

Davin gave him a thumbs up. "Don't you worry. If I know Haro, he'll win this first one easily."

Haro pointed. "Vulpix, use Flamethrower!" It breathed fire at its opponent, but Sealeo just sat there as the fire hit it. "What? How come it's not being affected?"

"Foolish boy. My Sealeo has the ability Thick Fat, which halfs the damage of Fire and Ice attacks when they hit." Glacia explained.

"Is that so?" Haro recalled Vulpix. "Fighting moves will work much better than Fire moves. Hariyama! Go!" The Arm Thrust Pokemon entered the battle.

"Sealeo, use Hail!" It shot the light blue sphere it created into the air and large chunks of ice began falling from dark clouds over the field.

"Hariyama, Focus Blast!" A light blue sphere formed in its hands and it threw it.

"Dodge and use Body Slam!" Sealeo pushed down on the ground with its flippers to get into the air and was prepared to land on the opponent.

"Force Palm!" Hariyama stuck its hand out and fired a white beam that hit Sealeo and knocked it into one of the stalagmites. Right then, Hariyama took damage from the Hail.

"Ice Ball, Sealeo!" A small sphere of ice was made in its mouth and it fired it.

"Dodge, then use Seismic Toss!" Avoiding the Ice Ball, Hariyama ran at Sealeo and picked it up with its hands; it jumped into the air, holding Sealeo in its hands, and began to spin towards the ground.

"Ice Ball! Now!" As she said this, the two crashed into the icy ground. Hariyama jumped back to Haro's side and Sealeo was revealed to be just fine.

"How could it still be standing?" Davin asked.

"My guess was that when Sealeo fired its Ice Ball at that moment, it used it as some sort of hard cushion to half the damage it would've received from the fall." Edric said. "Glacia's smart. Right now, it's doubtful that Haro will be able to outwit her."

"Ice Ball again!" This ball was twice as big as the first one.

"Destroy it with Force Palm!" Hariyama attempted to, but the Hail did its job and left it wide open to be hit by the impending Ice Ball.

"Body Slam!" Not wasting time, Sealeo jumped and slammed down on Hariyama into the ice with the latter ending up unconscious.

"Hariyama is unable to battle! Sealeo wins!" As the judge announced this, the Hail let up and the clouds disappeared.

Davin was shocked. "Wow... That Sealeo's tough."

"If all of her Pokemon are like that, who knows how Haro will deal with them?" Maura said.

Haro recalled Hariyama. "Thanks. Take a good rest." He looked at Glacia's Sealeo. "_This woman's not what I expected her to be. Her strategies seem flawless and I can't see any way to get around them._"

"Return, Sealeo!" Glacia said as the seal disappeared into the Poke ball.

"She's switching? What's with that?" Davin asked.

"She probably thinks it'll be boring to take Haro down with the same Pokemon so she's substituting to make the battle more interesting." Edric guessed.

"Now, Glalie! Come out!" The Face Pokemon appeared in midair when the next Poke ball was thrown.

"Vulpix, let's try this again!" The fire fox made its second appearance as the Poke ball sent it out. "Glalie is a pure Ice type so our Fire attacks will do some damage. Vulpix, use Fire spin!"

"Glalie, Light Screen!" A golden mirror shield appeared in front of it to prevent the swirling flame from hurting it. "You honestly thought I would send out a Pokemon that didn't have a proper defense against your moves? How naive."

Haro grunted. "Vulpix, Dig!" It tried to, but with the field being made of ice and not solid ground, it failed.

"Use Crunch!" Glalie came forward and bit down on Vulpix. Then it tossed it into a stalagmite, making the fire Pokemon fall into unconsciousness.

"Vulpix is unable to battle! Glalie wins!"

"That's another loss..." Maura frowned.

"Glacia is really good. Haro needs to get it together before it's too late." Davin said.

Recalling Vulpix, Haro sent out his third choice. "Now, Claydol, let's go!" The Ground/Psychic Clay Doll Pokemon levitated on to the field.

"So, his Baltoy evolved..." Davin noted to himself.

"Use Ancient Power!" Claydol's eyes glowed and a rock appeared in front of each one of them. They were then released towards the opponent.

"Ice Beam." Glacia said plainly as she closed her eyes in disinterest. Glalie then released light blue beams from its mouth, freezing the rocks solid and making them fall to the ground in mid-attack. "You don't seem to think about how to you use your attacks effectively, do you?"

"I do SO!" he shot back.

"You obviously don't. Even if Ancient Power wasn't frozen by Ice Beam, it still wouldn't have worked because Glalie's Light screen is still in effect. It's almost a shame that you didn't think about that."

Haro growled. "Claydol, use Gyro Ball!" The tips of its arms glowed white as it started to spin rapidly towards the ice Pokemon.

"Icy Wind." The wind it blew was so powerful, it momentarily stopped Claydol from advancing. Eventually, it was pushed back into a stalagmite, resulting in another knockout.

"Claydol is unable to battle! Glalie wins!"

"I can't believe what I'm seeing. What's going on with him?" Davin said with a worried voice.

"Glacia seems to be getting to Haro and her criticism is making him lose focus." Edric informed.

"Oh, I hope he can pull through. And soon!" Maura said.

Haro returned Claydol and sighed. "She's wrong. I DO know what I'm doing! I won't let her think otherwise!" The next ball was thrown. "Metang, I need your power!" A robotic Pokemon with two arms that have three spikes at the end of each of them levitated from the Poke ball.

"Cool!" Davin said as he opened his Pokedex.

"Metang, the Iron Claw Pokemon. Metang is the evolved form of Beldum. The claws tipping its arms pack the destructive power to tear through thick iron sheets as if they were silk and it flies at over 60 miles per hour."

"A Steel type like Metang is effective against Glalie, so Haro should be fine." Davin said.

"Type alone won't be enough." Edric warned.

"Glalie, return!" It was absorbed by the Poke ball's red light. "Walrein, come out!" Her third Poke ball opened to reveal a large blue walrus with a white mane and long, yellow tusks. Davin looked to his Pokedex.

"Walrein, the Ice Break Pokemon. Walrein is the evolved form of Sealeo. To protect its herd, the leader Walrein battles anything that invades its territory, even at the cost of its life. Its tusks may also snap off in battle."

"Metal Claw!" The spikes on the end of its right arm glowed as it moved forward.

"Ice Beam!" The light blue beams froze Metang's arm solid. "Now, Surf!" A tidal wave appreared in front of Walrein and it moved towards the opponent.

"Destroy it with Flash Cannon!" Metang's nose glowed as an orb of energy began to take shape in front of it. The orb fired a beam at the wave to no avail and Metang was soaked by the hit.

"Now, Body Slam!" Walrein leaped and sent Metang into the ground with its body to make the Steel-type faint.

"Metang is unable to battle! Walrein wins!"

"Not again!" Haro shouted as Metang went back inside its ball. "I refuse to lose to someone like you! Seviper, let's go!" The Fang Snake Pokemon hissed upon its appearance.

"His last Pokemon..." Davin stated.

"Seviper, use Giga Drain!" Its long body glowed green as an energy beam was released from its mouth.

"Ice Beam." The cold beams went through the Giga Drain and froze Seviper completely. "Now, Walrein! End this with Sheer Cold!"

Haro gasped. "No!"

"Anything but that!" Davin shouted.

"Oh, I can't look!" Maura covered her eyes.

Walrein's body glowed as it released a powerful force of ice energy at the frozen snake. On contact, the ice encasing Seviper shattered and it was knocked into a stalagmite. It had been defeated.

"Seviper is unable to battle! Walrein wins! The victor is Glacia of the Elite Four!" Loud cheers filled the stands at this news.

"What an amazing battle!" The announcer said. "Since Haro has been defeated, he is automatically knocked out of the tournament."

The boy was speechless; his eyes were full of appall and his mouth was wide open. He swallowed with discomfort and walked over to his fallen Pokemon. "Seviper... Are you okay?" he asked as he held its head in his arms while he knelt down.

"Seviii..." It groaned as it looked at him.

Haro closed his eyes. "I'm sorry I let you down. I didn't mean for it to end like this. Can you ever forgive me?" Seviper nuzzled him under his chin as it made a purring noise. "Thank you." he smiled.

"You should learn to concentrate better." Glacia stood in front of them. "If you don't learn to maintain concentration in battle, you will fail to use your Pokemon's moves correctly. Also try to control your emotions as well; if you get riled up at every little thing that goes on, it will only lead to failure." She turned her back to him. "Remember that." She recalled Walrein to its ball and exited the arena.

"Maintain... my concentration... Control... my emotions..." Haro said to himself. He recalled Seviper and headed back to the contender's room.


	55. Chapter 55 - Dragon Finale Battle

When Haro returned to the room, he was greeted by sad frowns from Davin and Maura.

"Haro… I'm so sor-"

"Don't." he stopped Davin. "I'm ok."

"But aren't you sad, even a little?" Maura asked.

He shook his head. "It was for the best. I still have a lot to learn about being a trainer, and that loss was just because of my mistake. It's no big deal."

"If you say so..." Davin said unhappily.

Edric stood up. "Now it's my turn. And I have to face the toughest of the four."

"You shouldn't worry." Haro said. "With your skill, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll do great."

"Thanks." He nodded to him and headed towards the arena.

* * *

"Now for the moment you've been waiting for: The final battle of the Elite Four event!" The announcer said. "We have Edric from Cerulean City vs. the Dragon Master and best of the Elite Four himself, Drake!" The two respective trainers entered the arena, including the white bearded man in the picture seen the previous day, who wore the Poke ball sailor's hat along with an open black coat, no shirt underneath, and blue pants.  
"The final battle will take place on a water battlefield." The field change was made and a swimming pool-like battlefield with big white, flat, circular objects in the water on both trainers' sides. "If the two trainers are ready, let the battle begin!"

"Go, Shelgon!" Drake released the Endurance Pokemon on to the floating white object.

"Vaporeon, let's go!" Edric's Poke ball opened to let out a light-blue quadruped Pokemon with a white collar around its neck, amphibian-like ears, and a tail-fin.

"What kind of Pokemon is that?" Davin looked to the Pokedex for the answer.

"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokemon. Vaporeon underwent a spontaneous mutation and grew fins and gills that allow them to live underwater. They have the ability to freely control water."

"Vaporeon, use Aqua Ring!" Its body started glowing as three rings of water surrounded it.

"Shelgon, use Rock Tomb!" It jumped and slammed on to the white circle it was standing on to make rocks fly out of the water and trap Vaporeon in an enclosed space around its circle. "Now, Dragon Claw!" Shelgon jumped over to the opposite side and was right above Vaporeon with its right front leg sticking out in preparation to strike.

"Use Haze!" Vaporeon exhaled black smoke at its attacker, temporarily obscuring its vision. "Strike with Aqua Tail!" Vaporeon jumped over the rocks as water spiraled around its tail-fin and it hit Shelgon with it to knock it into the water.

"_Uh-oh!_" Edric suddenly thought. "_Since Shelgon has that heavy shell, it can't swim!_ Vaporeon, dive down and help it back to the surface!"

"Por!" It nodded as it went into the water; when it got to Shelgon, it went underneath it and pushed its body to the surface of the water. Once it was successful in doing so, it placed on to the circle, where it was revealed to everyone that it had fainted.

"Shelgon is unable to battle! Vaporeon wins!"

"Wow, talk about lucky." Maura said.

"Yeah. If Shelgon hadn't have fallen into the water, who knows if Vaporeon could've won?" Davin added.

Drake recalled Shelgon. "I'm grateful that you saved my Pokemon. Not most trainers would go out of their way to do that for their opponent."

"Well, I couldn't let a Pokemon who couldn't swim just drown now, could I? If it hadn't been saved, I couldn't bare to think what would happen." Edric stated.

Drake smiled. "All right. Go, Altaria!" The large blue bird with the cloud-like wings materialized into the air.

Edric thought for a moment and ordered, "Vaporeon, destroy the rocks around you with Aqua Tail!" With one swing, the rocks were shattered into pieces as they fell into the water. "Good. Now, return!" The Poke ball's red beam reclaimed it into its confinement.

"He's switching already?" Davin commented.

"He must've come up with a better strategy." Haro said.

"Manectric, I choose you!" His blue canine Pokemon appeared on the circle, electricity sizzling on the yellow parts of its body.

"Nice! Electric attacks are super effective against Flying types like Altaria." Maura said.

"Though the fact that its part Dragon may make things a bit difficult." Haro added.

"Altaria, use Dragon Dance!" Its body became outlined in red as it swung its wings in a sort of dance.

"Manectric, use Charge!" Yellow electric sparks appeared around its body as it began charging power.

"They're both boosting their power." Davin noted.

"They both must be planning to knock each other out with as fewer hits as possible." Maura added.

"Altaria, Dragon Breath!"

"Manectric, Shock Wave!"

Altaria exhaled a strong blast of air while Manectric fired a blast of light blue electricity from its mane; both attacks collided, but Dragon Breath proved to be stronger and it proceeded through the Shock Wave to hit Manectric.

"Are you alright?" Edric asked it.

"Tric!" It shook itself and got back into its battle stance.

"Aerial Ace!" Altaria flew towards the opponent at fast speed with its wings outstretched.

"Shock Wave, once more!" The electricity was shot, but Altaria easily dodged it and landed its mark to Manectric's body, knocking it into the water. "Manectric, no!" When it floated back to the surface, it was unconscious.

"Manectric is unable to battle! Altaria wins!"

Maura frowned. "Too bad. Guess the combined power of Dragon Dance and Aerial Ace was too much for Manectric."

"They sure don't call him the Dragon Master for nothing." Davin said.

Edric recalled Manectric. "Thanks, buddy. You did what you had to do." He threw his next ball. "Go, Arcanine!" The large, tiger-striped dog entered the battle.

"An Arcanine may be fast, but without the right strategy, it can easily be beaten." Drake said. "Altaria, use Aerial Ace!" It flew across the water, but electric sparks appeared around its body while doing so, making it stop in mid-air.

Edric chuckled. "Looks like I did come up with the right strategy. When Altaria used Aerial Ace to beat Manectric, its Static ability kicked in and paralyzed Altaria so that it can't attack as often as it wants."

Drake looked surprised for one second and smiled the next. "Not too bad, I guess."

"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz!" It used its speed to run across the water as its body became engulfed in fire. It hit the stunned bird, knocking it into the water and leaving it unconscious when it came back up.

"Altaria is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!"

"The water's really working to Edric's advantage. Everytime Drake's Pokemon fall in, they always come back up defeated." Davin said.

"Those were just the first two," Haro said. "The others won't be taken down as easy."

Drake recalled Altaria. "Kingdra, come out!" A large blue seahorse with small wings entered the water from the Poke ball.

Davin's Pokedex  
"Kingdra, the Dragon Pokemon. It sleeps quietly, deep on the seafloor. When it comes up to the surface, it creates a huge whirlpool that can swallow even ships."

"Water against Fire is a bad match up." Davin said.

"Kingdra, Surf!" The tidal wave rised up from the water and headed towards its victim.

"Dodge with Extreme Speed!" Arcanine swiftly dashed away from the wave before it could be hit by it. "Now, use Dragon Pulse!" A bright green ball formed in its mouth and it fired a beam that struck Kingdra's body.

"Kingdra, use Smokescreen!" Thick black smoke escaped its mouth to prevent the opponent from seeing anything.

"I can't tell you how many times I've had to deal with this old trick. Arcanine, Heat Wave!" It breathed a powerful blast of flaming hot wind and it cleared the smoke in an instant while at the same time causing damage to Kingdra.

"Awesome! Heat Wave tore right through it!" Davin said.

"The smoke from Smokescreen intensified it and made it more stronger than usual, meaning that Kingdra is suffering a whole lot of damage right now." Haro said.

The top half of the seahorse's body was almost completely burnt. "Now, Arcanine! Hit it with one more Dragon Pulse!" The beam of dragon energy was fired and made contact with Kingdra again, making it topple over into the water and fall into unconsciousness.

"Kingdra is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!"

Drake recalled Kingdra. "The boy's not bad. He's used good tactics so far in this battle and he's near to winning. I'm almost impressed." He threw a Poke ball to reveal that his next Pokemon was a Flygon.

"Return, Arcanine!" The fire Pokemon disappeared upon those words. "Absol, let's go!" The Disaster Pokemon was let out on to the circle.

"Flygon, use Flamethrower!" A stream of fire was shot from its mouth.

"Absol, Double Team!" Copies of itself appeared on the surface of the water as the Flamethrower missed. "Psycho Cut!" The copies disappeared and the original one jumped at Flygon with the scythe on its head glowing pink.

"Use Dragon Breath!" A quick shot knocked Absol into the water, but it was able to resurface with no problem.

Edric smirked. "Absol, use Perish Song!" Still in the water, Absol began to sing a low melody as black and red music notes came from its mouth. Flygon flinched at the sound as its body became outlined in the same color as the music notes. "Keep singing, Absol! Don't stop until you're both down!" The dark Pokemon obeyed as its body was becoming the music notes' color as well.

"Come on, Flygon! Escape it!" As much as it wanted to, the pain of the song prevented it from doing anything. Eventually, the singing stopped and Flygon fell into the water while Absol keeled over in the surface of it.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! This match ends in a draw!"

Edric recalled his Pokemon. "Thanks, Absol. You lost for a good purpose."

Drake recalled Flygon. "Well, I'm down to my last Pokemon. Think you can beat it?" He tossed a Poke ball and it opened to let out his Salamence, who roared upon entrance.

"Drake's strongest Pokemon..." Haro said.

"It certainly looks tough." Maura added.

"Salamence..." Davin almost whispered. Flashbacks of Soar, his former Salamence, ran through his head; from the beginning when he caught it as a Bagon, to the time it evolved into Shelgon during his battle with Winona, and to the final time where it evolved into Salamence out of anger, destroyed its Poke ball, and just flew away. "_I still can't figure it out... Why was he so mad at me? And... where is he now?_"

"Venusaur, it's time!" The Poke ball he threw released his main Pokemon into battle.

Drake couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the odds. "Salamence, Flamethrower!" Fire escaped from its mouth to the grass Pokemon.

"Venusaur, Sludge Bomb!" Globs of sludge collided with the fire to cause an explosion, speading grey smoke over the field. "Vine Whip!" Two vines from the flower on its back lashed out, but caught nothing when the smoke cleared. "Huh?"

"Flamethrower!" A blast of fire came down from the sky and scorched Venusaur's body. It turned out that Salamence flew into air to launch a sneak when the smoke cleared. "Now, use Dragon Claw!"

"Catch it with Vine Whip!" As soon as the dragon's hand was raised, the vines restrained it from moving. "Now, toss it into the water!" Venusaur pulled its vines backwards, along with Salamence, and threw them forward to get Salamence into the water.

"Use Solar Beam right where Salamence is! Go!" Sunlight quickly gathered into its large flower and a clear white beam shot downward into the water. It caused an explosion, causing water and more grey smoke to rise from the field. When Salamence came up, it had fainted.

"Salamence is unable to battle! Venusaur wins! Edric advances to the semifinals!" Loud cheers, and a few jeers, came from the crowd.

"HE DID IT! HE WON!" Davin cheered.

"I can't believe how strong he is! Just awesome!" Maura added.

Haro simply smiled. "You're good, Edric. You're really good."

The winner of the battle jumped across the water and on to the white circle to congratulate his Pokemon with a hug. "You were great as usual, Venusaur! Thank you!"

"Saur~!" It said.

Edric saw Drake jump into the water and go to his Salamence to see if it was okay; he jumped in too and swam to them. "Is it alright?"

"Yes, it should be fine." Drake confirmed as he faced the boy. "I congratulate you, young man. You've used brilliant strategies and tactics in our battle and I can tell that you've raised your Pokemon with a lot of love and care."

"Thank you, Drake. Coming from you, that means a whole lot to me." He smiled.

Both of them shook hands, recalled their Pokemon, swimmed to shore, and exited the arena.


	56. Chapter 56 - Heartfelt Goodbye

"Awesome, Edric! I can't believe you beat him!" Davin congratulated when he returned to the room.

"Aw, it was nothing." he waved it off. "Besides, it was a real honor to battle the top trainer of the Elite Four. That's a moment I'll never forget."

"The way you battle... it's just so amazing!" Maura said.

Edric chuckled. "Just a result of a lot of hard work."

* * *

"The semifinal contestants have been revealed!" The announcer stated as Davin's, Maura's, and Edric's pictures came up on the arena screen. "Since there are only three left in the tournament, a random shuffle will decide who will face who in the next round."

The pictures flipped over and began to rotate around each other in a fast pace. Eventually, they split apart to form a triangle and flipped over to show the picture; Davin and Maura were at the bottom while Edric was at the top.

"Well, there you have it! Tomorrow, Davin and Maura will battle in the next round to see who will face Edric for the title of champion!"

"Cool! It's finally here!" Davin said with excitement. "Maura, it's going to be you and me, just like we promised!"

She nodded. "Yep. And I'll be sure to give it my all against you; no doubt about that!"

Edric said, "A battle against you two? That'll be interesting. Don't you think, Haro?"

"Yeah." He simply nodded with an emotionless expression.

* * *

Later that evening, the four trainers healed their Pokemon at the front desk in the lobby and began to discuss about tomorrow's round.

"So, what's your strategy against Maura gonna be?" Edric asked as they sat on the couch.

"Even if she wasn't sitting right next me, I still wouldn't tell you." he answered with a cocky grin. "You'll just have to wait and find out."

Maura giggled. "Well, good luck because I don't plan on losing so easily to you. After seeing the way you battle, I've come up with the perfect strategy that will knock you out of this tournament for sure!"

"Can't wait! What do you think about it, Haro?" He looked to his left but he saw that the blonde wasn't there. "Hey, where's Haro?"

"There he is!" Maura pointed to him as he walked out of the lobby through the automatic doors.

Davin ran after him. "Haro! Wait up!" He caught up to him on the outside as Haro turned around. "Where are you going?"

He closed his eyes. "I'm going home."

"WHAT?! Why?!" Davin shouted in shock.

Haro opened his eyes. "Why do you think? I lost, so there's no reason for me staying here. I have to keep training so that I'll win the next Pokemon League I plan on entering."

"But why leave now? Don't you want to see my battle?"

"Believe me, Davin, I want to, but this is something I have to do. Unlike you, I haven't found a way to use my Pokemon properly in the way I want to win, and I need to start learning that as soon as possible so that I can be a true Pokemon trainer. You understand that, don't you?"

He stared at him for a few seconds and sighed. "I guess so..." Davin felt really sad at that moment; although they started out as bitter rivals, they've come to accept each other as close friends. He knew that he had to say goodbye to him eventually, but he didn't expect it to be this soon. Sighing again before speaking, he asked, "So, what league are you going to enter next?"

"I'm heading for Johto. For some reason, I feel that that's the only place I'll be able to find what I need." Haro looked at the sad boy for a second and smiled; he took his backpack off and knelt down to get something out of it. "Davin... this is for you." He showed him an oval shaped object that was colored light-green with several small dots around it.

"A... Pokemon egg?" Davin asked as he took it in his hands.

"I left two of my Pokemon at a daycare near Mauville City and the old couple that was in charge there found an egg from the two of them. I was planning on raising it myself, but I'm giving it to you as a parting gift."

"Haro..."

The blonde took his bag off the ground and placed it back around his shoulders. "Well... I best be going..." He walked up to Davin and wrapped his arms around him.

"Thank you... for changing me back to the way I was..."

After he said that, he let go of him and started walking off into the distance.

"You're welcome, Haro." Davin felt tears coming into his eyes. "Take care... my friend."


End file.
